Australia is Blocking Another Four Illegal Gambling Sites

Australia is Blocking Another Four Illegal Gambling Sites

Australia’s media and internet watchdog is set to block another group of illegal offshore online gambling websites from access in Australia following an investigation that found they were breaching Australian laws.

Earlier this week, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced their intention to block four further websites and urged Australian users to withdraw their money.

The websites are:

  • Gibson Casino
  • Always Vegas
  • Viggoslots
  • Malibu Club Casino

This comes after several earlier rounds of blocks in 2020 by the ACMA, as the watchdog tries to crackdown on illegal gambling websites accessible from Australia.

At the time of writing these websites are still accessible.

Australia’s efforts to crack down on illegal online gambling

According to the ACMA, more than 180 websites have been blocked in just a year. And 100 services have pulled out of the Australian market since the new illegal offshore gambling rules were put in place in 2017.

After some Australians reported issues accessing money they had won or deposited, the ACMA began to crack down on these services.

Since the websites are hosted overseas, the ACMA has resorted to forcing internet service providers (ISPs) to block the websites en masse.

When the website is blocked, a message is shown to anyone who tries to visit it to dissuade them from online gambling.

“Website blocking provides a valuable opportunity to alert the public to illegal gambling services though the messaging that appears when there is an attempt to access the site,” the ACMA said in a statement.

And while it’s pretty simple to get around the ACMA’s website blocking, these attempts will at least add friction to the process and potentially stop a few people from accessing these gambling websites in Australia.

If you’d like to speak to someone about your gambling, feel free to give Gambling Help a buzz on 1800 858 858, or call Lifeline on 13 11 44.

 


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