The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has initiated legal action in the Federal Court against three entities for allegedly offering unlawful internet gambling services.
The ACMA declared that all three instances involved the provision of forbidden online gambling services, initially operating under the name “PPPfish”, subsequently rebranded to “Shuffle Gaming” and ultimately “Redraw Poker”. The organization asserted that these brands were online poker platforms, which are prohibited under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA).
The ACMA specifically identified three individuals associated with operating and promoting these services when initiating the civil penalty proceedings.
Rhys Edward Jones was accused of providing these prohibited online gambling services to Australians between March 2020 and March 2021, while Diverse Link Pty has been supplying them since March 2021.
The ACMA also named Brenton Lee Buttigieg, stating that he was involved in promoting and referring clients to these services.
The ACMA alleged that since March 2, 2020, Jones and Diverse Link provided services that permitted Australians to engage in online poker for money.
Poker enthusiasts can join poker groups via a mobile application and buy virtual currency from independent online platforms using bank transfers or Bitcoin. These virtual chips are then added to their poker group accounts and used for poker games. These virtual chips can be exchanged for real money or Bitcoin.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) stated that individuals could face a maximum penalty of A$1.7 million (£942,503/€1.1 million/$1.2 million) for potential violations of the Interactive Gambling Act (IGA), while organizations could face five times that amount.
The ACMA mentioned that they would not provide additional comments as the case is currently being reviewed by the judicial system.
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