In-play betting not for us, says Crownbet

The debate in Australia around the legality of in-play betting from mobile and desktop devices (see previous reports) has prompted one operator – Crownbet – to eschew the lucrative form of betting until the legal position is clearer.

Matthew Tripp, Crownbet’s chief executive, told the Sydney Morning Herald this week that his company has had an in-play system ready to go for the past year, but that it has held off on launching it due to questions around its legality, and would continue to do so until the review of the Interactive Gaming Act has produced some firm conclusions.

Our readers will recall that in Australia the law is that live bets can only be placed by telephone, but major operators have been pushing the envelope by claiming that if a computer or mobile device’s microphone is left on it constitutes a telephone call.

The ambiguity triggered a call by the Australian Communications and Media Authority for the Australian Federal Police to determine the legality of the “microphone on” system, which was being widely deployed by William Hill, Bet365 and Ladbrokes.

The ACMA warned the companies concerned, and Ladbrokes withdrew its product.

Amidst the furore, Social Services Minister Scott Morrison recently announced a fresh review of the fourteen-year-old Interactive Gaming Act, felt by many to be out of step with modern developments in online gambling.

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