Australian betting operator Tabcorp has found itself in hot water over a 2015 promotion that offer rewards to new accounts.
Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court found the gambling operator guilty of three counts of illegally luring punters to open accounts, skynews.com.au reported on Friday. The promotion in question was published in a newspaper and online in August 2015 and offered bonus bets as well as other rewards as inducements, according to the news outlet.
Government outlaws bookmakers to publish ads tempting residents in New South Wales with enticements to gamble or open betting accounts.
Tabcorp, which has denied the offences, will face sentencing in February.
This is the second run-in Tabcorp has with authorities over its promotions. In November, Australia’s Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) ruled that a Tabcorp TV spot that aired in October had contravened Section 2.8 of the AANA Wagering Advertising and Marketing Communications Code that prohibits gambling marketing pitches from portraying, condoning or encouraging “excessive participation in wagering activities.”
The advert in question featured a man returning home from a vacation, upon which his girlfriend asks him how it went. The man then flashes back to a camping/fishing trip with a few mates who spend the whole trip using the TAB app on their mobiles studying betting odds and watching live racing broadcasts. The man responds to the woman’s question by saying only: “Yeah… loved it.”
The ASB said it received numerous complaints about the ad, with some suggesting that the men had spent their entire weekend gambling, then lying about it to their spouses, while other complaints claimed the ad glorified gambling.
Tabcorp rejected the allegations, saying the ad was intended to promote the variety of TAB racing action “in a lighthearted and humorous manner and to depict the enjoyment that many Australians derive from using the racing form and watching and racing vision on their phone.”
The ASB, however, found the gambling operator guilty of portraying excessive participation. Tabcorp, which disagreed with the board’s conclusion, said it will seek an independent review.
