BlueBet Pty Ltd has been fined $50,000 for gambling advertising breaches and ordered to pay the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission’s (VGCCC) agreed costs. BlueBet was found guilty of 43 charges of displaying gambling advertising on or above a public road, which is an offense under the Gambling Regulation Act 2003.
The VGCCC conducted an investigation following a complaint from a member of the public and charged BlueBet in August 2023.
Over two weeks in August and September 2022, BlueBet’s?gambling advertising appeared on digital billboards at:
Princes Freeway on the Point Cook Road Overpass (Laverton)
Princes Freeway on the Princes Highway Overpass (Point Cook)
Western Freeway Melton – Werribee Road (Rockbank)
Western Freeway before Ballarat Road Overpass (Ravenhall)
Princes Freeway on Sneydes Road Overpass (Werribee).
Magistrate Greg Thomas said that he found it difficult to accept BlueBet’s defense that they didn’t know they were breaching the law, given the prime position of the billboards to target males aged 15-54 years old. Magistrate Thomas did not record a conviction but said if the breaches were accidental, this demonstrated a high degree of negligence by BlueBet.
VGCCC CEO Annette Kimmitt AM welcomed the verdict: “Gambling advertising has no place on public roads where it is readily visible to children and other vulnerable groups. These places are especially difficult to avoid as part of day-to-day activities. This decision sends a clear message to wagering providers that flout these protections for our community.”
Magistrate Thomas said he would have fined BlueBet $70,000 and recorded a conviction but considered their guilty plea, cooperation with the VGCCC and changes BlueBet implemented to prevent these breaches from happening again.
