Northern Territory regulator orders Betfair Australia to refund punter

Betfair Australia, an Australian betting exchange operator owned by casino operator Crown Resorts,  has been ordered to refund A$150,000 to a punter by the Northern Territory licensing jurisdiction for failing to recognise the red flaf behaviour of a problem gambler. The company was additionally fined A$13,175 for its third similar offence.

The anonymous punter complained to the regulator earlier this year after incurring heavy losses, including wagering more than A$86,000 in 23 minutes, and a further deposit of A$35,000 in 47 minutes. When the betting firm acceded to the gambler’s request for a withdrawal cancellation, the gambler then went on to gamble away A$145,000 in a day.

Betfair acknowledged that the gambler has self-excluded for six months in 2014, and again for a month in 2016, but claimed there were no discernible indicators of problem gambling.

The regulator considered a number of other factors which it felt Betfair should have recognised as problem gambling indicators, including repeated requests for withdrawal cancellations, and escalating deposits over time, noting that Betfair failed to conduct any welfare checks or make offers of responsible gambling help. It found that Betfair had failed to meet its regulatory and licensing obligations in terms of responsible gambling, and that the bets made by the gambler were unlawful nd must be returned.

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