Unibet fined in New South Wales for illegal gambling advertisements

Unibet has been penalised following an investigation by Liquor & Gaming New South Wales, after being found to have posted three illegal gambling advertisements

This has seen the online gambling operator, which has the right to appeal the judgement receive court-imposed fines totalling $48,000 (£25,776), after posting advertisements for its Uniboost, Uplift and Reboost products, which are a form of special or enhanced odds.

Under the NSW Betting and Racing Act 1998, it is an offence to publish a gambling advertisement that offers any inducement to participate, or participate frequently, in any gambling activity.

“Special or enhanced odds have the ability to induce people to open a betting account when they otherwise may be refraining from gambling and they may encourage people to gamble more frequently,” explained Darren Duke, NSW Liquor & Gaming’s compliance director.

“In Downing Centre Local Court on 15 July, Unibet pleaded guilty to three offences and was fined $16,000 per offence, totalling $48,000, for breaching NSW gaming laws. They were also ordered to pay $3,900 in legal costs.

“The offences relate to the publication on the Unibet website and Apple App Store on 26 November 2020, of the availability of the Uniboost, Uplift and Reboost products which are a form of special or enhanced odds.

“During sentencing the Magistrate noted that Unibet had a record of previous convictions and had most recently been fined $15,000 in 2019 for breaches of the betting legislation. The advertisements were designed to entice people to engage with gambling products and are a breach of the legislation.”