ACMA to Block Illegal Offshore Gambling Websites

Australia’s telecom watchdog is going to block access to illegal gambling websites hosted offshore. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will investigate suspect sites and, if unable to take enforcement action, order internet providers to block them.

The chair of ACMA, Nerida O’Loughlin, said the new laws were a valuable additional weapon against illegal online gambling.

“There is little to no recourse for consumers engaging with these unscrupulous operators,” O’Loughlin said.

She said 65 illegal companies had left Australia since ACMA began enforcing new rules against offshore sites in 2017.

The communications minister, Paul Fletcher, said the sites accounted for about $100m in lost tax revenue each year.

“Too often these offshore operators are defrauding Australians and their websites typically provide very few, if any, harm-minimisation controls,” Fletcher said.