WEBMASTER NEWS
ONLINE IN-PLAY BETTING TO REMAIN ILLEGAL IN
AUSTRALIA
AUSTRALIA’S FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT has said that online
in-play betting on live sports events is to
remain illegal in the country, with plans
in place to close loopholes that currently
allow bookmakers to offer such services to
punters.
According to the Sydney Morning
Herald, the government is also now keen
to introduce ‘disruption’ tactics to stop
Australian nationals from gambling with
illegal offshore operators.
While the government stopped short of
saying it will block unlicensed sites, the
strategy will include naming and shaming
sites and their operators, as well as working
with banks and credit cards in the country
to stop payments.
The decision followed Social Services
Minister Alan Tudge releasing a muchanticipated review of illegal offshore
gambling by former New South Wales
Premier Barry O’Farrell on 28 April.
Australia currently operates under the
2001 Interactive Gambling Act (IGA),
which states that while bets on live games
can be taken at retail outlets or over
the phone, operators cannot offer such
services online.
Some brands, including William Hill
and Paddy Power Betfair-owned Sportsbet,
are bypassing this by using voice-overinternet protocol (VOIP) technology to
allow punters to place bets by clicking a
button and confirming the wager with an
automated phone call.
However, Tudge has said the
government plans to introduce legislation
that will block this loophole and has urged
bookmakers to cease offering online inplay betting. “We are of the view that they
have been in breach of the intent of the
law, if not the actual law,” Tudge said.
While Australian operator Tabcorp
welcomed the decision, Ian Fletcher,
CEO of the Australian Wagering Council,
representing brands including William Hill
and Sportsbet, criticised the decision to
retain an ‘archaic’ ban on online in-play
betting, adding that the government will
miss out on millions in tax.
PAYPAL TO END GAMBLING PROTECTION IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES
PAYPAL HAS ANNOUNCED it is to stop
protecting payments made by customers for
online gambling transactions in a number
of countries, including the US, Canada and
Brazil.
The online money transfer giant will
amend its Payment Protection policy
and User Agreement, with the changes
impacting buyer and seller protection, as
well as dispute resolution.
Paypal’s updated list of ‘ineligible items’
for protection will include “gambling,
gaming and/or any other activity with an
entry fee and a prize”.
The move will also impact customers
in certain countries that use Paypal
for making payments to crowdfunding
projects.
“This is consistent with the risks and
uncertainties involved in contributing to
crowdfunding campaigns, which do not
guarantee a return for the investment made
in these types of campaigns,” Paypal said,
according to the BBC.
BETFRED EXTENDS SPONSORSHIP OF WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP
BETFRED HAS RENEWED its title
sponsorship of the World Snooker
Championship through to 2019.
Under the extended deal, the event will
continue to be known as the Betfred World
Snooker Championship.
This year’s edition of the tournament
concluded in May and was won by English
player Mark Selby, who beat China’s Ding
Junhui 18-14 in the final.
Betfred boss Fred Done said: “We are
proud to continue our sponsorship; it is
an iconic much-loved event high on the
sporting calendar.
“We were well up for extending our
sponsorship but the viewing figures
throughout the world, and particularly in
China, certainly got it over the line.”
CHERRY TO ACQUIRE COMEON
CHERRY HAS AGREED a deal to acquire
49% of the shares in ComeOn, with an
option to also purchase the remaining 51%.
Although the financial terms of the
agreement were not disclosed, Cherry
said in a statement the acquisition would
compliment its existing brands and
positions in markets such as online casino
and sports betting.
Cherry also said that the deal will
“significantly strengthen” its position
in the Scandinavian markets, as well as
provide “great” opportunities for continued
international expansion.
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iGB Affiliate Issue 57 JUN/JUL 2016
ComeOn, which operates under a
number of brands such as ComeOn.com
and Mobilbet.com, had 1,112,932 registered
customers as of the end of December 2015,
of which 109,608 were active.
“This acquisition will strengthen
Cherry’s position in online gaming against
competitors in Scandinavia and other
European markets,” Cherry chief executive
Fredrik Burvall said.
“Both Cherry and ComeOn are growing
considerably faster than the market as a
whole, which facilitates further investments
in existing brands and continued expansion
in new markets.
“We will add several strong brands and
will profit from the strong entrepreneurial
spirit within ComeOn.”
Hans Martin Nakkim, a spokesperson
for ComeOn, added: “Just like us, Cherry
is growing quickly with a multi-brand
strategy and we see a lot of potential
synergies between the companies.
“We look forward to staying
operationally involved with the new
ownership, while still having a big stake
in the future growth of the consolidated
Cherry.”