Flutter Entertainment has received informal approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for its proposed combination with The Stars Group (TSG).

The approval from ACCC is seen as a milestone in the group’s attempts to merge with Flutter to create what is expected to be one of the world’s biggest betting businesses.

But the company said the proposed deal remains subject to approval by the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board, as well as further international regulatory bodies.

The deal was first announced in October and the combined group will serve customers in more than 100 countries.

In the biggest ever fine of its kind in NSW, Ladbrokes and Neds were yesterday convicted and ordered to pay a total of $207,500 for offering illegal gambling inducements to NSW residents.

Under current NSW law, wagering operators found guilty of promoting inducements to gamble, face fines of up to $110,000 per offence and company directors can be criminally prosecuted.

Following an investigation by Liquor & Gaming NSW, Ladbrokes, which owns Neds, was fined in Downing Centre Local Court for each of four Ladbrokes and two Neds advertisements they ran across Channel 7, Instagram and Facebook in 2018.

The advertisements offered bonus bets for a smaller deposit, such as a deal to “Deposit $50, get $250 in bonus bets.”

These bonus bets only applied to people who opened new betting accounts.

Liquor & Gaming NSW A/Director of Compliance, Dimitri Argeres, said the clear inducements to gamble and open a betting account were accessible to all users on social media.

“Inducements are known to increase the risk of gambling harm and these advertisements reached a broad segment of the population,” Mr Argeres said.

“In NSW such advertisements are restricted to registered betting account holders.

“This record fine should serve as a reminder that betting operators have an obligation to ensure their gambling advertising complies with NSW laws.

“Penalties of this magnitude are not easily absorbed into running costs.”

Under the NSW Betting and Racing Act, it is an offence to publish a gambling advertisement that includes any inducement to participate or participate frequently, in any gambling activity.

Ladbrokes and Neds have the right to appeal.

Agreement will see GTG Network.com deploy consumer-facing data platform with leading Australian bookmaker

Data and technology provider GTGnetwork.com (GTG) has signed a deal with BetEasy to deploy GTG’s iSport Genius product and software.
The ‘betting choice’ content-and-insights platform is designed to inform and educate customers about their choice of bet.
iSport Genius’ interactive consumer-facing platform leverages trillions of pieces of data, and via an intuitively designed interface creates a multitude of engaging calls to action and helps improve the overall experience for punters and sports fans alike.
Nathan Rothschild, co-founder and partner at GTGNetwork.com, said: “Our deal with BetEasy is recognition by another tier 1 operator of the value of our data platform and insights to sportsbooks and its customers. We’re delighted to be working closely with one of the leading operators in Australia.”
Martin Tripp, Chief Trading Officer for BetEasy said, “We’re constantly looking for ways to enhance our customers’ wagering experience and look forward to bringing this deal to life.”
Rothschild will be attending ICE 2020 before a trip throughout the US. If anyone wishes to arrange a meeting to see how GTG can enhance their sports offering, they should contact Nathan.