It’s true that in Australia Betfair is sitting around with not much else to do until they hear the verdict of their appeal against a decision by the Australian Federal Court. You know: the one to do with Racing NSW charging them the 1.5% levy. Well until that case comes down on March 11 instead of adopting a couple of Koalas and generally getting drunk at every given opportunity they’ve taken to other pursuits.
This extends to apparent political donations to the country’s Labor Party and now the chief executive of the world’s largest betting exchange has spoken about the danger to users of unregulated markets – especially those in parts of the United States and the Indian subcontinent.
Andrew Twaits said, “The best response to protect the most vulnerable members of the community is to have a well-regulated environment with the appropriate controls around harm minimisation.
“We were one of the first operators in the country to offer voluntary pre-commitment so you can predetermine how much you can deposit per day, per week or per month — or lose per day, per week, per month.”
This is obviously slightly different to the pre-commitment technology currently being pioneered by the country’s government but there’s no guarantees they won’t be looking at you through your webcam as part of pre-commitment in the future. Our advice: make sure you’re not wearing your birthday suit whilst betting online. Never know where it might turn up.
Twaits was also quoted in the article, published in The Mercury, confirming that Betfair is planning to stay in the Australian state of Tasmania for another 10 years after renewing their license last year.
“We are established here now with 120 or so highly qualified, very loyal staff,” he said.
