Regulators unite!
News on 1 Oct 2017
News on 1 Oct 2017
Operators and technology and service providers will be mulling a communication this week from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement that warns recent legislative changes in Australia have re-classified that market as illegal in terms of online casino and poker activity…along with sports betting unless they have a valid Aussie licence.
Liaison between the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the DGE appears to have been the trigger for the New Jersey warning.
Our readers may recall that the DGE issued an advisory last year on the subject of its operator and service provider licensees operating in countries where gambling legislation is open to interpretation (so-called “grey” markets) cautioning them that such activity could have consequences for their New Jersey approvals.
The DGE subsequently came to an agreement with the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada which saw the KGC warn its licensees not to operate in New Jersey.
In his communication to the DGE, Australian Communications and Media Authority chief Richard Bean reportedly asked that the New Jersey regulator educate its licensees on the changes in Australia to ensure that they did not access Aussie online punters in contravention of local laws.
DGE chief David Rebuck apparently obliged by writing to the legal heads of New Jersey licensed online gambling companies to tell them about the Australian approach, noting that things have changed in Australia, which must now be regarded as a “black” or illegal market, and that “…continued operations in a black market will affect a company’s suitability for licensure in New Jersey.”
Rebuck went on to advise that failure to respect Australia’s laws could result in the DGE imposing regulatory penalties on licensees including the revocation or refusal of licenses.
Rebuck’s warning is applicable to both operators and service providers, and those who are still active in Australia (many companies have already departed that market) have been asked to explain their continued presence in Australia and what their future plans are regarding compliance with the new gambling laws.
