Victoria regulator charges BlueBet over advertisements

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission has charged BlueBet for allegedly unlawful displays of gambling advertisements.

The Australian regulator said BlueBet unlawfully displayed three advertisements on billboards over a fortnight in late 2022.

The 43 charges for allegedly contravening the Gambling Regulation Act 2003 would each carry a fine of 120 penalty units, equating to a potential maximum fine of AU$954.2m.

VGCCC Regulatory Services director Jason Cremona said: “All wagering service providers advertising in Victoria must comply with relevant legislation. Where we detect non-compliance – especially non-compliance that can exacerbate gambling harm – we will take a zero-tolerance approach and use all the enforcement powers available to us.

“We launched our investigation after receiving an online complaint about the billboard advertisements from a member of the public.

“We encourage all members of the community to use our complaints and tip-off portals to let us know when they believe they have witnessed non-compliant behaviour by gambling providers. The community can rest assured we will act wherever we can.”