The massive flee of online gambling operators from the Australian regulated market continues. Casino Guardian learned that another leading gaming company is to leave Australia due to the country’s new online gambling amendment bill.
It came to our knowledge that the leading Swedish online casino, sports betting and poker operator LeoVegas is the next one to quit the Australian gambling market.
The brand has informed its affiliates for its decision to stop providing its services to local customers due to the recent regulatory developments that took place in the country. The existing players will no longer be able to access the company’s website LeoVegas.com as of September 10th 2017.
As long as the operator’s affiliates are concerned, they have also been informed that the revenue share generated from Australian customers will no longer be part from their monthly revenue after September 10th. The company has also advised its affiliates in the country to stop any affiliate activity aimed at local customers with immediate effect and reminded them that such activity would breach the Affiliate Partner Terms and Conditions.
Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016
Over the past several months, we have seen a large number of well-established, reputable and trustworthy online casino, betting and poker brands leave the country as a result of the new piece of legislation that has tightened the control on gambling operations. After the Australian Senate officially gave the green light to the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2016, which is aimed at eliminating online poker from the local gambling options, the local market was literally shaken by some of the largest international gaming companies to close their operations in the country.
The fundamental changes in the Australian gambling market are already real, with local customers being stripped of the opportunity to access their gaming, casino, betting, poker and bingo options.
Online Gambling Operators Flee from Australia
As Casino Guardian has reported on previous occasions, the decision of the country’s Government to implement such drastic changes in the Australian gambling industry has pushed a large number of operators to leave the market.
Many licensed and reputable brands decided to leave the gambling market of Australia, leaving the local customers to much shadier off-shore brands operating in the country, which are neither regulated nor monitored in any way.
Just a few days ago, two more gambling companies announced their decision to leave Australia. The affiliate brand of Mansion Group – iAffiliates – has informed the operators’ affiliates and customers that the company’s services will no longer be available. Mansion Group’s exit from the country’s gambling market took effect on August 31st. The other brand that is to leave Australia as of today, September 1st, is Genesis Global Limited. The latter’s affiliate program Cruise Affiliates has sent an e-mail notification to its partners, saying that Australia had become a restricted territory, so that its services and operations will no longer be available there.
Earlier this year, some of the largest online casino, betting and gaming operators on a global scale chose to announce their departure from Australia. First, in December 2016, the respected bingo operator Vera&John revealed its exodus, followed by 888 Holdings’ poker brand – 888poker – in the middle of January 2017. 32Red was the next to follow, joining the off-shore online gambling operators to leave Australia in April 2017.
Two of the largest poker brands in the world – partypoker and PokerStars – have also informed their customers that they would no longer be provided with the chance to access their services. The exodus of partypoker from the gambling market of Australia took place on August 31st, while PokerStars will officially withdraw from the country on September 11th.
- Author
Olivia Cole
