The CEO of Entain Australia and New Zealand, Andrew Vouris, has called for Australia’s banks to be held to a higher standard in monitoring transactions linked to illegal offshore gaming operators amid concerns over the rising number of websites that target Australian emerging out of jurisdictions like Curaçao and Anjouan.
Vouris was asked for his thoughts on the offshore market after delivering a keynote address at the Regulating the Game conference in Sydney on Monday, and specifically what measures he believes could or should be taken to combat the threat. Entain’s Australian operations include leading sportsbooks Ladbrokes and Neds, while it also holds exclusive rights to operate sports and racing wagering in New Zealand via the NZ TAB.
“The unspoken thing that I’d like to see [more action around] is the banks,” Vouris said – likely a reference to the fact that banks in Australia are generally not subject to the same requirements as wagering providers around real-time monitoring of customer behavior and spending habits.
“The banks must know that some of these transactions that are occurring in cash from their customers are going to illegal offshore gaming and wagering operators and they need to be held to the same standard that the regulated wagering operators are here in Australia.”
Vouris added that, while the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is doing a “fantastic job” in actively trying to geo-block offshore operators, more could be done to discourage their presence.
“If I look at a company like [offshore site] Royal Reels Casino as an example, they’re up to ‘Royal Reels number 189.com’. So, we’ve shut down 188 of them but it’s a continuous merry-go-round.
“We need to have some prosecution of these directors. That’s what I’d like to see.
“The operators from those jurisdictions are clearly targeting Australians. They understand that it’s an illegal operating environment and yet they continue to target Australians in a way that has got zero regard to problem gambling and harm minimization.”
Vouris, who recently revealed that Entain would bid for three of the 15 online casino licenses on offer under New Zealand’s new Online Casino Gambling Bill, naturally praised the country’s moves as “opportunity to bring activity back into the light.”
However, with Australia showing no sign of following a similar path any time soon, he acknowledged the answer locally was to focus on disruption, enforcement and “collaboration between regulators, industry, banks and tech platforms”.
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