Victorian private school sports betting website reported to gambling regulators
A gambling website illegally soliciting bets on sporting events between Victoria’s most elite private schools has been reported to state and federal authorities, it has been reported.
Associated Public Schools (APS), a group of 11 luxury schools, said it had called on the state’s gaming authority and the federal communications watchdog to review the site apsbet.xyz.
Hosted by a domain provider based on the outskirts of Melbourne, the site offers betting on the outcome of sports competitions between APS schools, including Geelong Grammar, Brighton Grammar, Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College.
The APS men’s football competition is closely followed by AFL fans as schools seek a competitive advantage over rivals by attracting the state’s best young talent with the lure of lucrative scholarships.
The APS competition is regarded as one of Australia’s top junior football competitions and participating schools provide grounds for a number of AFL draft prospects.
Private schools compete with each other in 21 different sports branches divided into three seasons: summer, winter and spring.
It is unclear who is behind the website, which took bets on sixth round matches for APS football, rugby and football on 30 May, and does not appear to be registered with the Australian corporate regulator.
The operators of apsbets.xyz, which describes their site as the “leading platform for APS betting”, did not respond to attempts to contact them. The website was working on Monday morning but appeared to be down by the afternoon.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has moved to ban betting on all sports where all participants are underage in 2023.
A school source, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said the hosting producer of apsbets.xyz was contacted and asked to remove the site, finding that it was operating illegally and violating the provider’s terms of service.
A spokesperson for the Australian Communications and Media Authority confirmed it was made aware of the website and took appropriate action.
“The Interactive Gambling Act (2001) criminalizes the provision or advertising of unlicensed, regulated interactive gambling services, such as online betting, in Australia,” the authority’s spokesman said.
APS deputy chairman and Brighton Grammar principal Ross Featherston said the group wanted the gambling website removed immediately.
“APS does not condone this site in any way,” Featherston said.
“APS wants this site removed immediately and has been actively addressing this issue since becoming aware of the site last Thursday.
“We have contacted the site’s hosting provider as a matter of urgency and have referred this site to both the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission and the Australian Communications and Media Authority so that the relevant regulators are fully aware of the situation and can undertake any investigation, compliance or enforcement action deemed necessary.”
Independent senator David Pocock said the site was another example of why Australia needed a national gambling regulator.
“Murphy review [the inquiry into gambling harm chaired by the late federal MP Peta Murphy] proposed a national regulator to stop things like [this] “To prevent these events from happening and to be agile enough to take down the gambling sites that are trying to profit from our children,” Pocock said.
“Gambling has become so normalized in Australia, especially among young people, that I have heard from teachers that they have seen their students betting on their favorite sport, rather than just talking about betting on it.
“We need to break the link between gambling and sport in Australia and remember why we love the games we follow.”
Murphy’s 2023 report included 31 recommendations, including banning all gambling advertising and appointing a national regulator.
The federal government submitted its response to the report last month, and only a few of the 31 recommendations were taken into account.
“Unfortunately, the prime minister is proposing a more unregulated ban that would ensure advertising remains in place during half-time of Friday night football,” Pocock said.
The website’s hosting service, Synergy Wholesale, was contacted for comment.
More to come
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