Tabcorp has been ordered to pay a fine of AU$30,000 (£16,606) as a result of an advertising rule breach. This fine was ordered by Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court. The ad run by Tabcorp broke the rules set out in New South Wales for gambling.
Former account holders targeted
The main complaint came from a previous account holder who claimed that they had received a gambling advert on their Instagram account via the stories feature. This event took place on 14 December 2019 and there has been an investigation ongoing since.
900 other NSW residents who had closed their accounts were also provided to Facebook for the advertising campaign. This is a huge breach of the rules set out in the NSW Betting and Racing Act.
It is illegal to publish gambling ads that feature an inducement to open a betting account. The ads in question offered bonus bets to those who viewed it.
AU$30,000 fine to be paid
The main issue with this breach of the rules stems from the fact that some account holders might have closed their account due to problem gambling. If this is the case, encouraging them to open another account is a problem.
This sentiment was echoed by Magistrate Erin Kennedy in response to Tabcorp noting that it was down to human error.
Tabcorp was ordered to pay the fine and legal fees alongside this. Despite their history of compliance, this kind of error should not take place.
Affiliates and operators should learn from this mistake in order to avoid fines. This is especially important for those operating in the NSW region.
