Australia’s online casino market is competitive, noisy, and full of platforms making the same promises. Fast payouts. Big welcome bonuses. Huge game libraries. The difference...
Australian court imposes $24M fine on illegal poker operators
The Federal Court in Australia has imposed a $24 million fine on Brisbane Poker Pty, its director, Rhys Edward Jones, and assistant, Brenton Lee Buttigieg, for running an illegal network of online poker platforms.
Individually, the company has been ordered to pay a $15 penalty, while Jones and Buttigieg face $9 million and $240,000 fines, respectively. After investigating PPPfish, Shuffle Gaming, and Redraw Poker, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) identified breaches, with the court finding that operations run by the pair and the brand offered online poker services to local players even though Australia has strict bans on such activities.
Chair of ACMA, Nerida O’Loughlin, commented:
“This decision sends a clear warning that offering online poker to Australians is illegal and there are serious consequences for those who breach the law. Illegal gambling services put Australians at risk, and the ACMA will continue to take action against those who target these services at Australian consumers.”
In addition to the overall $24 million fine, ACMA shared that another $5 million penalty had been previously imposed on Diverse Link Pty for similar violations, bringing the total penalties for the case to $29.24 million.
The court decision concludes the investigation, which first began back in 2022, marking one of the biggest enforcement actions against online poker operations since their ban in 2001 under the Interactive Gambling Act.
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