Lottoland Australia slams “misguided and unnecessary” foreign lotto betting ban

Bet-on-lottery operators could be ousted from Australia after the federal government today unveiled proposals to ban betting on foreign lotteries and keno games.

Betting on domestic lotteries is already outlawed in Australia but communications minister Mitch Fifield has pledged to implement legislation within six months to stop wagers on foreign draws.

Fifield’s government said betting on synthetic lottery services “undermined the long-standing community acceptance of official lottery and keno products”.

Lottoland Australia CEO Luke Brill described the proposed legislation as misguided because online bets placed on foreign lotteries do not have a significant impact on local businesses in Australia.

“While we understand the concerns expressed by some newsagents, the proposed legislation is both misguided and unnecessary,” said Brill.

“The fact is that Lottoland does not offer betting opportunities on any Australian lottery means our offering does not have a direct impact on newsagents.

“On the contrary, we want to work with these newsagents to provide customers with greater choice and even better services, which have the potential to be highly beneficial for individual newsagents.

“As a responsible and responsive corporate citizen that contributes extensively to local community groups, we will continue to work closely with regulators and all political parties to reach a satisfactory outcome in the best interest of our more than 650,000 registered customers,” he added.

Lottoland was banned from domestic lotto betting last year following a “Lottoland’s Gotta Go” campaign, which cost Tatts Group approximately A$5m.

The combined Tabcorp/Tatts Group would stand to benefit from the newly-proposed ban, with less competition for its lottery and online keno products.