Sportsbet under fire from Aussie gambler

The Sun Herald newspaper reports that the Victoria province in Australia is currently the setting for an interesting legal confrontation between Paddy Power subsidiary Sportsbet and a disgruntled local punter who claims that his opportunities to score have been unilaterally reduced by the operator.

In litigation filed with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Robert MacMillan (55) claims that after being a loyal but largely unsuccessful gambler for several years on the site, he hit a winning streak at the end of last year which enabled him to rack up wins of around A$ 22,500.

That appeared to prompt the company to reduce his betting choices so drastically that it severely constrained his opportunities to win more, MacMillan alleges. In fact, the online gambler rather tenuously claims, he could have won up to GBP 35,000 had he remained unrestricted.

Sportsbet’s lawyers argue that the company T&Cs reserve the right to limit the wagering options of punters, or to decline to accept their business entirely. They also point out that the issue has been filed in the wrong court, because Sportsbet is licensed by the Northern Territory.

The latter argument didn’t fly with the Victorian authorities, who have ruled that the company must present a formal response to MacMillan’s claims by the end of this (May) month.

The case could set far-reaching legal precedents, and will be watched with interest by industry observers.