The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has cleared Sportsbet of any misconduct after concerns were raised about the company violating the nation’s prohibition on live betting.
The ACMA’s inquiry was related to Sportsbet offering wagers on the Brownlow Medal, which is presented to the most fair and skilled player in the Australian Football League (AFL) season. The medal is chosen by referees after each game based on individual player performance.
Sportsbet patrons were able to place bets on the award during the live broadcast of the medal ceremony on September 18 of this year, placing bets on which player they believed would win the most fair and skilled player medal.
The ACMA considered the case to involve live betting, which is not allowed under current sports betting regulations as outlined in the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA).
Specific potential violations included section 15(2A), which forbids the provision of online live sports betting services in Australia, and sections 61DA(1A) and 61DA(3), which cover the advertising of designated interactive gambling services.
The ACMA’s definition of ‘sporting event
However, when rendering its judgment on the matter, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) highlighted that the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) Section 10B does not provide a definition for a sporting event, which outlines the guidelines for wagering on Australian contests.
Consequently, the ACMA declared that since the televised award ceremony itself should not be classified as a sporting event, and the tallying of the outcomes is not a random occurrence that takes place during the competition, Sportsbet did not breach the regulations when offering betting on the contest.
In light of this finding, the ACMA also determined that Sportsbet did not infringe upon the advertising prohibition outlined in the IGA when it was permitted to operate betting markets during the Brownlow Medal ceremony.
Sportsbet’s other wagering markets
The ACMA also examined comparable betting markets offered by Sportsbet on the Norm Smith Medal (Australian Rules Football) and the Clive Churchill Medal (National Rugby League).
Both accolades are based on the performance of players in a single match, with the victors being chosen and announced by officials or independent entities after the game. The selection of the winners does not depend on the result of the match.
As with the Brownlow Medal ceremony, the ACMA stated that it does not consider these awards to be sporting events, nor does it consider them to be chance events that could or could not occur during a sporting event.
Therefore, the ACMA does not consider betting markets on the results of these awards to be betting services on competitions as stipulated in the IGA, ruling that Sportsbet did not violate any betting regulations.
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