Ladbrokes Loses Australian Advertising Battle

Ladbrokes Australia is looking at paying around $70,000 in fines for violating New South Wales (NSW) advertising regulations after a judge rejected their appeal in the matter.
Judge Martin Blackmore upheld a lower court’s decision to fine Ladbrokes approximately $25,000 for violating NSW advertising standards, as well as an additional $38,000 in court costs and legal fees in the matter.
Under NSW law, gaming operators such as Ladbrokes are strictly prohibited from inducing players to gamble and/or open an account for wagering. In the layman’s eyes, this law would seemingly prohibit all forms of advertising, but that’s not a realistic option for operators who need to continuously promote their goods and services through promotions such as deposit bonuses. That leaves them treading a fine line between legitimate promotions and incurring the wrath of local gaming regulators.
For NSW-facing operators, this challenge becomes particularly difficult as NSW is one of Australia’s least-gambling friendly states. Over the years, it’s been home to stringent regulation and rather vocal anti-gambling faction which includes local lawmakers.
To make matters even more challenging, after the decision announced Ladbrokes was chided by Sean Goodchild, director of compliance operations at the Liquor and Gaming NSW who said that the company was not doing enough to, “…minimize the possible negative effects of gambling on vulnerable individuals,” according to a report on CalvinAyre.com.
Representatives of the The Liquor and Gaming NSW reiterated their warning that they are watching gambling operators quite closely and will continue issuing fines for advertisements that violate local standards.