The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has called for the Australian internet service providers to ban two offshore lottery websites offering tickets in the country illegally.
ACMA stated that following an investigation, it found that the websites ‘We Love Lotto’ and ‘Red Fox Lotto’ sell tickets in major overseas markets and are not licensed to operate in Australia.
Both websites are said to be in breach of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, which states ‘unlicensed regulated interactive gambling services must not be provided to customers in Australia’.
The legislation also states that ACMA ‘must notify prohibited internet gambling content to internet service providers so that the providers can deal with the content in accordance with procedures specified in an industry code or industry standard.’
“We Love Lotto and Red Fox Lotto are both operating illegally in Australia, meaning there are no consumer safeguards in place for players,” commented ACMA member Fiona Cameron.
“Blocking illegal offshore sites protects Australians from potentially dodgy operators, where there is little or no recourse if things go wrong. Lottery services that are licensed in Australia and operating legally have important safeguards that consumers expect.”
The Australian authority has called upon ISPs to block illegal casino-style websites since 2019, though We Love Lotto and Red Fox Lotto are the first lottery operators to be the target of a ban.
In FY2020/21, ACMA targeted 55 websites and operators for site blocking, reducing Australian web traffic to those sites by 90%.
“We are very pleased with the outcome and it shows that the steps we are taking to combat illegal online gambling in Australia have had a positive impact,” Cameron added.
