Across Australia, bookmakers that are licensed in the country cannot offer live betting services to players online. For years, this has been a major issue for betting companies, as there is a growing demand for this service. Now, the dispute is heating up as Australian bookmakers have come together to rally against the live betting ban.
The Australian Wagering Council, which represents licensed companies like Sportsbet, Betfair, Bet365 and William Hill argues that players will continue to place live bets whether or not it is legal for local operators to do so. Since local companies cannot offer this service, players are choosing to wager with offshore sites when placing live bets online.
As such, bookmakers that are part of the AWC are losing out on valuable profits to unlicensed operators. "The simple truth is Australians will continue to bet in-play via the internet with unlicensed offshore providers until reform is achieved to allow Australian licensed and regulated wagering operators to offer the product," said Ian Fletcher, chief executive of the AWC.
Some local bookmakers like William Hill found a loophole, using the ‘click-to-call’ service. It allowed players to place live bets online, as they were able to make a voice call online. Since the loophole as discovered, the government has banned it – and, it will not be amended until after the election. According to The Australian, the government has not yet made a final decision on in-play betting.
Lawmakers are still deciding whether or not live betting should be banned. The issue will be revisited after the election but, in the meantime, the activity will continue to be banned. During this time, the government is working on ways to prevent local players from wagering with offshore operators.
Every year, Australians spend millions of dollars betting with offshore operators, and government officials want to ensure that local operators can reclaim their business.
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