A corporate bookmaker ignored its responsible gambling obligations during a dispute with a customer, the Northern Territory Racing and Wagering Commission (NTRWC) has found.
NT-licensed Bet Right was fined $13,430 despite initially raising concerns about the client’s wagering activity.
A complaint was lodged with the regulator in 2022, 12 months after Bet Right emailed the customer, promising a follow-up telephone call that did not eventuate.
The complainant claimed he did not see the bookmaker’s email because it arrived in his junk folder.
Therefore, he claimed it led him to gambling beyond his means at a time when the bookmaker should have been reaching out about his account activity.
However, the punter’s bid to recover his losses under the terms of the Northern Territory Code for the Responsible Service of Online Gambling during that period was denied.
“... while Bet Right’s failure to conduct the follow-up call is a matter of concern and represents non-compliance with the Code, the Commission does not consider that this breach, in the specific context of the Complainant’s activity, renders the bets struck as not lawful,” the Commission’s findings read.
“The Commission has further determined that the bets placed by the Complainant with Bet Right were lawful and as a result, has formed the view that Bet Right is not required to return any monies to the Complainant.”
BetRight is owned by IRPSX Pty Ltd, which is part of the BetTube Group. It was founded by Anthony Waller.
Because the matter was four years old, it fell under the jurisdiction of the Northern Territory Racing Commission, which was reconstituted under the NTRWC banner in 2024.
The NTRWC decision against Bet Right was handed down on September 9, and the regulator has since been the subject of media scrutiny.
Responsible for licensing more than 40 online bookmakers, the NTRWC was targeted in a Four Corners exposé this week into Australia’s multi-billion-dollar gambling industry.
An investigation aired allegations of conflicts of interest and a pro-industry bias at the regulator as well as evidence of lengthy delays in dealing with complaints.
NTRWC chair Alastair Shields did not answer questions put to him by Four Corners reporter Steve Cananne during the program.
An NT Department of Tourism and Hospitality spokesperson has since told the ABC that the department was "reviewing the management of potential conflicts of interest" within the NTRWC.
"The management of conflicts of interest in the [NTRWC], including in relation to gifts and benefits, has been under consideration," they said.
