BetNation fined for sending promos to self-excluded punters
BetNation.com.au, a sports betting site run by Amused Group, has been fined $13,770 by the Northern Territory gambling regulator for sending hundreds of self-excluded individuals promotional advertisements to bet on the Melbourne Cup.
The company has expressed its contrition while noting the incident, which took place in the week of the Melbourne Cup, was a mistake.
The Northern Territory Racing Commission, the biggest sports betting regulator in Australia, has reported it got complaints from several individuals who had asked to be excluded from betting and any associated advertisements, yet received an email from BetNation asking them to gamble up to $1,000 on any horse in the Melbourne Cup.
NTRC adds that among the 7,713 people, BetNation sent the particular email to, there were 772 self-excluded individuals. These individuals got emails promising them bonus payments of up to $50 if the horse they selected failed to win.
The commission said the complaints they received showed “varying levels of distress and anger at having received the email”. Self exclusion programs are popular in online betting because it allows those with gambling problems to put a block on themselves, for when their will weakens.
According to NT’s responsible online gambling code, the self-exclusion register is “to ensure they have in place suitable procedures to ensure correspondence or promotional material is not sent to any persons who are either excluded from their services, or who request that this information not be sent to them.”
The NTRC sees it as a gross breach of their rules and will attempt to make a statement and use it as an example to other bookmakers who may be tempted to activate players on traditionally high-value wagering days, like the Melbourne Cup or the AFL and NRL grand finals.
When contacted for information, Amused Group told the Guardian Australia the “emails [were] sent to the wrong client list due to human error”. It adds that its team has sent another email retracting the first and apologizing for the error.
“No self excluded persons were able to open or reopen an account and place a bet. Corrective and preventative measures have now been put in place to prevent a recurrence of this type of error in the future,” they said.
Because the NT Racing Commission discovered the operator unintentionally sent the emails, the fine was halved which amounted to the $13,770.
Health practitioners have noted the fine is merely a slap on the wrist and not a surefire way to enforce compliance.
“The fine of $13,770 is a minute amount in comparison to what the companies take from gamblers and particularly those who struggle with problem gambling, such as people who have self-excluded,” said Matt Stevens, an honorary fellow at the Menzies School of Health Research specialising in gambling policy.
It should be recalled that last November, BetNation was called out by a recovering addict for sending promotional betting deals surrounding the Melbourne Cup, even after his name was on a self-exclusion register.
