Gambling giant Tabcorp has been caught accepting illegal “in-play” bets on a US college basketball game but has avoided punishment from the communications watchdog after promising to fix the “technical error” that allowed it to happen.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said it found Tabcorp’s bookmaking operation TAB received 37 bets online after the basketball game had started on January 3 this year.
Tabcorp said it left online betting open on the college basketball game due to a “technical error”. Credit:AP
“Live” or “in-play” betting – where customers can gamble on the outcome of sporting events as they unfold – is illegal online in Australia, and such bets can only be taken in retail outlets or over the phone.
Tabcorp said it inadvertently left online betting open on the game because a third-party data provider had supplied an incorrect start time, which was followed by a “technical error” on its part.
“Tabcorp regrets that this occurred and has rectified the technical error,” a Tabcorp spokesman said. “Tabcorp supports strong regulation of gambling products, including the ban on online in-play sports betting.”
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ACMA Authority Member Fiona Cameron said the ban on in-play betting had been in place for years and Tabcorp “had more than enough time to put systems in place” to ensure it did not happen.
“We know that in-play betting, such as bets on the next point in a tennis match or the next ball in cricket, can pose a very high risk to problem gamblers,” she said.
Tabcorp said betting during the game remained at pre-game odds – rather than fluctuating as they do during normal in-play betting – and that it voided losing bets while still paying out winning bets after it identified the error.
