O’Shea Bookmaking Pty, operating under the name TexBet, has been fined AU$33,000 (US$22,791) for violations of the Betting and Racing Act 1998. The penalty was imposed by the Downing Centre Local Court on September 25, following the operator’s acceptance of new bets and the sending of gambling advertisements to a customer who had attempted to close their account.
The incident occurred in May 2022 when a customer reported receiving gambling ads and having placed 75 new bets, which TexBet accepted, despite the customer withdrawing consent for ads and requesting account closure. The claim was investigated by Liquor & Gaming NSW.
Jane Lin, Executive Director of Regulatory Operations at Liquor & Gaming NSW, stated, “By engaging in this behaviour, TexBet has broken a law designed to protect vulnerable individuals trying to exclude themselves from gambling. Not only did TexBet violate the law, but it also increased the risk of further gambling harm to this individual by sending them ads and accepting bets after they explicitly requested to close their account.”
Lin emphasized the need for online betting businesses in NSW to implement robust systems to prevent advertising to individuals who have opted out. “Operators must expect to be caught and prosecuted if they fail to comply with NSW gambling laws,” she warned.
In related news, Liquor & Gaming NSW has initiated a new compliance operation to ensure that licensed operators adhere to newly implemented safer gambling measures. These measures, which include the introduction of Responsible Gaming Officers (RGOs), came into effect in pubs and clubs across NSW in July.
Additionally, The Star Entertainment has confirmed its response to a show cause notice issued by the New South Wales Independent Casino Commission (NICC) in mid-September. This notice pertains to breaches outlined in the second Bell Report, focusing on anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF) failings by the operator.