Note: This report starts from 13 September 2017 as the ACMA’s extended responsibilities for complaints, investigations and enforcement of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA) came into effect on that date. Generally, reports will be for a three-month period.
 |
106 enquiries and complaints received and assessed |
 |
18 investigations completed involving 65 distinct gambling sites |
 |
19 breaches of the IGA found |
Enquiries and complaints
Of the 106 enquiries and complaints received, 38 (36 per cent) were valid complaints that could be investigated under the IGA.
Enquiries and complaints that can’t be investigated still provide valuable information about key areas of community concern. For example, enquiries and complaints peaked in November 2017, following significant media coverage about gambling-like mechanisms in popular games such as Star Wars Battlefront II.
You can make a complaint to the ACMA if you have reason to believe that a prohibited interactive gambling service or an unlicensed regulated interactive gambling service is being provided to Australian customers or advertised in Australia.
Investigations
We may investigate interactive gambling matters on our own initiative or where a valid complaint is made.
An investigation may look at a number of sites and may also include findings on a number of matters. For example, in a single investigation we might consider if a service is a prohibited interactive gambling service and also whether an advertisement for the services was published in Australia.
In the period, 18 investigations were completed, with 10 investigations finding one or more breaches of the IGA.
These 10 investigations resulted in 19 separate findings of breaches:
- nine related to providing a prohibited interactive gambling service to Australian customers
- eight related to providing an unlicensed regulated interactive gambling service to Australian customers
- two related to advertising a prohibited or unlicensed regulated interactive gambling service in Australia.
In the 18 investigations, a total of 65 distinct URLs were considered.
Investigation findings and topics
The ACMA does not publish the names of entities involved in investigations.
Enforcement action
We have not yet taken enforcement action but have successfully engaged with providers. After contact from the ACMA, a number of these services have restricted access to Australians.
Other actions
We have been actively engaging with international regulators, national regulators, and licensing authorities and service providers to raise awareness of the IGA and promote compliance.
