ACMA Blocks Cloudbet and Other Illicit Gambling Websites
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued a fresh set of directives to obstruct gambling websites that are operating illicitly in Australia. This encompasses the well-known cryptocurrency wagering site Cloudbet.
Cloudbet and Las Atlantis are among the names that the ACMA has pinpointed. They have directed Australian internet service providers (ISPs) to bar access to these websites.
The ACMA states that these websites are violating the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001. They are providing online gambling in Australia without authorization.
Since the ACMA initially commenced blocking websites in November 2019, they have blocked 619 illicit gambling websites and associated sites in Australia.
Furthermore, since the ACMA began enforcing new regulations against illegal offshore gambling in 2017, over 180 illegal services have ceased operations in Australia.
The most recent round of blocking orders arrives after the ACMA cautioned about other websites operating without the necessary authorizations.
These brands include Spin Oasis, Fab Spins, RB Carnival, The GoGo Room, Velvet Spin, Zenith Slots, Slots of Wins, Latinbet24, Hell Spin, Sky Crown, Blue Leo, Wolf Winner, Bizzo Casino, Wabo88, and Ozbet88.
This week, Australian media was consumed by the withdrawal of the permit of Star Entertainment Group, a land-based resort operator in New South Wales. The corporation was slapped with a hefty $100 million Australian dollars (£55.8 million/€64.2 million/$63.1 million) fine for its numerous shortcomings in the state.
Last month, the company was deemed unsuitable to hold a casino license in New South Wales following a report by Adam Bell. The report exposed a disturbing pattern of failures in anti-money laundering and social responsibility at Star Sydney over a period of time.
These shortcomings included cleverly circumventing Chinese capital flight regulations by falsely labeling gambling expenditures as hotel spending on China UnionPay (CUP) cards. The company also misled banks about these payments and permitted entities potentially connected to organized crime to operate gambling cages at its casinos.
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