Ladbrokes Aus to close Live Play in "show of good faith"
Operator to withdraw product despite not being licensed by state regulator introducing the in-play ban
Ladbrokes Australia says it will pull its live betting product as a “show of good faith” after rivals licensed by a different regulating body were hit by a ban on click-to-call systems.
Last week, the Northern Territory Racing Commission sent a letter to a number of corporate bookmakers licensed in the state, requesting they cease offering online live wagering products within 28 days.
The decision, which was influenced by the federal government, will impact operators including William Hill, Unibet, Sportsbet and bet365, all of which have products designed to negate the ban on online live betting in the country.
But despite being licensed in Norfolk Island, which has yet to introduce a ban, Ladbrokes’ CEO Dean Shannon told eGaming Review it would pull its Live Play product in “show of good faith” and ahead of an anticipated wider crackdown.
“Ladbrokes Australia has always stated we are happy to work with the government and the framework we have been given, to that end we will be discontinuing our Live Play product by the end of the month,” he said.
“We will be notifying our clients in the near future as to when they need to switch back over to phone betting,” Shannon added.
In April, Ladbrokes CEO Jim Mullen revealed in-play wagering represented around 6% of the Australian business’ total revenues.
The bookie first launched Live Play in December across desktop, Android and mobile web, enabling customers to place bets via the website so long as the device’s microphone is switched on.
Live Play was a follow-up to the operator’s debut live betting feature Quickcall, which was pulled by Ladbrokes in July after the legality of such products had come under increasing regulatory scrutiny.
Under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, Australian betting operators are prohibited from accepting online bets on live sports events and can only accept in-play wagers placed in person or over the phone.
In April the Australian federal government pledged to maintain the country’s ban on online in-play wagering and introduce legislation to close any loopholes.