Bet365 to Face Legal Actions from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission?

Earlier yesterday, Bet365 has sent out an email to all of its affiliates informing them about potential legal actions they might be facing from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The mail explains that this was triggered by the claims used in Australia, which the Commission determined to be ‘misleading’.

In order to avoid any further damage, the company removed these Claims from all of their banners facing Australian market and advised their affiliates to remove the said Claims from their web sites in the event they are being used in such fashion that they cannot be automatically updated.

This also pertains to any ‘free text’ found on affiliate sites, which may be using wording similar to that found in the Claims. The Claims that the ACCC have problems with are ‘$200 Free Bets for new customers’ and ‘Up to $200 Deposit Bonus for new customers’.

It seems that the authorities really pushed hard against the company, as the letter sent to the affiliates states the urgency of the matter and underlines that any affiliates who fail to follow these instructions will effectively be breaching terms and conditions, which can result in withholding payment and / or termination of the agreement with Bet365.

Once the removal process of the Claims in question is complete, it is likely that ACCC will not proceed further with their legal actions, but this is certainly not your everyday situation. Poker rooms and online betting sites have been known to advertise the claims and offers of this type pretty much since they’ve come into existence and it is not typical for regulators to have a problem with it.

However, the ‘misleading’ part of the accusation does hold some water. Online rooms often emphasize just the good part of the offer, while the part about having to deposit before you can make your claim or having certain play-through requirements before money is available to you.

Although an argument that it should be clear to any sane person that no one will just give you couple hundred $ for just clicking a button has its merits as well, these types of regulations and decisions do go in line with the new trends in gambling and gaming laws, which seem to be geared towards customer protection, even if it means they are sometimes overprotective.