Australian betting start-up Betr has been struck with a record fine by regulatory body Liquor & Gaming New South Wales.
The regulator imposed a penalty of A$210,000 after ruling that Betr’s launch marketing, which included 100-1 odds on the Melbourne Cup, constituted an inducement to gamble.
New South Wales (NSW) laws prohibit advertising any offer of an incentive to participate in gambling, including an inducement to open a betting account or to bet more frequently.Betr’s aggressive marketing campaign coincided with the launch of the business in October of last year. It released promos for the Cox Plate and for NRL and AFL markets, with odds advertised in newspapers and on radio and television, as well as online.
Betr’s aggressive approach made quite the splash, attracting the attention of some of the country’s most established bookmakers in Tabcorp, Ladbrokes and PointsBet.
Liquor & Gaming NSW issued 14 penalty infringement notices to Betr resulting in the fine, which is a record for a betting operator for offering gambling inducements in NSW.
Liquor & Gaming NSW: “This company tried to attract a new customer base and establish a significant market share with promotions that we consider crossed the line, using inducements that had the potential to cause harm to the community.”
“This company tried to attract a new customer base and establish a significant market share with promotions that we consider crossed the line, using inducements that had the potential to cause harm to the community,” said Jane Lin, executive director of regulatory options and enforcement at Liquor & Gaming NSW.
“In many cases, such promotions can only be legally offered to betting account holders who, unlike the general public, have made a conscious decision to open an account and receive this information.“Wagering operators can legally advertise their products in a variety of ways, but they can’t advertise or promote inducements such as offers of enhanced odds or bonus bets to entice people to open a betting account,” she added.
Betr was previously fined A$75,000 by the Northern Territory Racing Commission (NTRC) in February 2023, again for a breach of marketing rules after an affiliate sent direct messaging to a self-excluded customer.
Betr is run by Aussie bookmaking veteran Matthew Tripp and backed by a consortium including Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, Las Vegas-based investment fund Tekkorp Capital, and Australian technology supplier BetMakers.