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The Australian government has fined Diverse Link Pty Ltd AU$5 million (€3.04 million) for offering its unlicensed gambling services via the domain Redraw Poker.
The company and its principals have been accused of breaching the Interactive Gambing Act 2001 from March 15th 2021 to April 13th 2022 by offering real money online poker to those in Australia.
That act makes it illegal to provide some interactive gambling activities, such as online casinos, to someone in Australia. Poker is included among the restricted activities.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) filed a civil action against Rhys Edward Jones, Diverse Link Pty Ltd and Brenton Lee Buttigieg. This marks the first civil penalty proceedings issued for illegal gambling.
Federal Court Justice David Thomas issued his ruling.
“The process was unregulated and there were no controls and no way in which problem compulsive gamblers were assisted.”
Redraw Poker is a multiplayer online poker system, with Ring Games, Fast Poker, SNGs and MTTs.
Buttigieg is active on the live poker scene, having recently won the ₫ 6,600,000 No Limit Hold'em - Bounty in Hanoi.
The maximum penalties payable by individuals is up to $1.665 million per contravention, and five times that amount for companies, ACMA said. It was not immediately clear whether this penalty will be assessed.
- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com
