Australia Pushes for Legalisation of In-Play Betting

Casino regulators and bookmakers in Australia are pushing for the legalisation of live online sports betting in Australia despite the advice from the government’s sports integrity unit.

At present live sports betting online, including bets made after play starts, is banned but they are permitted in TABs and over mobile phones which is a loophole used by bookmakers to get around the ban. The federal government is set to review the Interactive Gambling Act this year and this has given rise to hopes that the law can be changed.

There is a strong lobby for the legalisation of online in-play betting including board members of the casino regulators, the free-to-air television industry and the Australian Sports Commission. Australian’s are among the biggest gamblers in the world and a change in the law could see a huge profits boost for bookmakers especially if the market mirrors Europe where up to 75% of all sports betting is in-play.