A New South Wales (NSW) District Court judge has thrown out the petition of Ladbrokes Australia which sought to overturn its conviction for publishing advertisements that authorities said induce gamblers to wager.
The Australian reported that Judge Martin Blackmore has affirmed the decision of Downing Centre Local Court to slap Ladbrokes with a AUD35,000 (US$26,553) fine, plus AUD50,000 ($37,933) in legal costs, for breaching the federal state’s gambling advertising law.
Under the Betting and Racing Regulation 2012, betting operators are barred from publishing adverts that offer NSW residents any inducement to gamble or open a betting account.
Sean Goodchild, director of compliance operations at Liquor and Gaming NSW, hailed Blackmore’s ruling, saying the Ladbrokes adverts didn’t help minimize the possible negative effects of gambling on vulnerable individuals.
It would be recalled that the state regulator expressed its concern that Ladbrokes continued to act irresponsibly after it published the controversial advert on its website, as well as on YouTube and in different news agencies earlier this year.
Liquor and Gaming NSW also warned that it wouldn’t think twice in filing cases against company directors and senior executives who continue to breach state laws.
This is not the first time that Ladbrokes has been found guilty of illegal advertising.
Two years ago, Liquor and Gaming NSW dragged the betting operator to court over three adverts featured on the company’s website between April 2 and May 29, 2015. The ads in question offered existing customers or new sign-ups the chance to win free bets of up to AUD1,000 ($758) per day.
Ladbrokes apologizes for ‘harmless’ Scottish football tweet
In other Ladbrokes news, the British bookmaker has apologized for a tweet it made during the Dons vs. Rangers match.
The controversial tweet, which had already been deleted, read: “GOOOOOOALLLLL! Danny Wilson puts Rangers ahead! Fantastic news for Derek McInnes.”
According to the Daily Record, the Dons took offense at the tweet and immediately called the Scottish Premiership to protest Ladbrokes’ action.
In a statement, Ladbrokes said the tweet “was intended to be a harmless joke, but we understand why it may have caused offence and it has now been deleted.”
