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The online sports betting site Bet365 is forbidden from taking live bets over the Internet but that hasn’t stopped them from doing so using an interesting loophole, one that could ultimately get them into hot water.
The restrictions are in place in Australia.
Live betting on sporting events, now extremely popular worldwide, is permitted only via the phone in Australia. But those using the Internet are still able to do so via Bet365 provided their Web mics are turned on. That mere action supposedly constitutes a “phone call”.
Australian wagering firm Tabcorp isn’t so sure. They have sought legal advise to determine whether this loophole would truly stand up to scrutiny.
The Australian has confirmed that Federal Police have received a referral from the Australian Communications and Media Authority to investigate but neither agency is saying more at the moment.
So what’s the big fuss?
From The Australian:
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibits the placing of bets on events that have started except via telephone. But technology, reinterpretation of the law, and the hunger of overseas-based firms to create a new field of betting activity, have changed the landscape.
Ladbrokes dubs its feature Quickcall and William Hill calls its equivalent Click to Call. Bet365, which has promoted its operations in Australia using ads featuring actor Samuel L. Jackson, calls its feature betCall.
- Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com
