Australian gambling company Sportsbet faces class action over in-play betting

Australian sports betting company, Sportsbet, has come under fire as a class action lawsuit has been filed against them.

The lawsuit claims that its “Fast Code” service is illegal, as it gets around gambling prevention laws. They also claim that it violates Australian requirements to have betting information through voice calls or “in physical venues that are appropriately licensed to do so”.

Fast Codes work by displaying a code on the screen, which you’ll then phone up and repeat the code to place the bet. This is one of the key elements of the lawsuit, as the bet information hasn’t been communicated by phone, but by other means. It’s also illegal in Australia to create bets after the event has started unless communicated over the phone.

The suit encompasses anyone who made a losing bet between December 24, 2018, and December 24, 2024. However, this doesn’t count for “racing (horse, harness or greyhound) events”.

In-play betting has exploded worldwide, with it hugely popular in the United Kingdom and the US. Massachusetts is currently trying to get a bill passed to ban in-play betting. More than half of the US currently make in-play bets.

Law firm Maurice Blackburn’s – who filed the suit – Elizabeth O’Shea said, “We believe that Sportsbet’s use of the Fast Code service is not just an attempt to circumvent important laws aiming to prevent gambling harm, it is also illegal because key information about the bet is communicated by punters otherwise than by a voice call.

“Sportsbet represented to the plaintiff and group members that the Fast Code service was legal, and in doing so we believe it engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct contrary to the Australian Consumer Law.”

It’s estimated that the class action could take up to four years to resolve itself, with no definitive way of knowing if it will succeed.

The post Australian gambling company Sportsbet faces class action over in-play betting appeared first on ReadWrite.