Sportsbet has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) following an investigation into whether the company had contravened the Interactive Gambling Act by offering a live betting market during the Brownlow Medal count.
The ACMA’s investigation centred on whether Sportsbet had breached the prohibition on online in-play betting, which is defined as accepting bets on a sporting event after it has started or on a contingency that may or may not occur during the course of a sporting event.
However, the ACMA found that while the Brownlow Medal count is related to the performance of players in sporting events, the televised presentation of the award is not itself a sporting event and the outcome is not a contingency that occurs during the course of a sporting event.
Therefore, offering a betting market on the outcome is not considered in-play betting under the Interactive Gambling Act.
The investigation came about after the authority received a number of complaints from viewers regarding the quantity of betting advertising broadcast during the Channel 7 live coverage of the 2022 Brownlow Medal award.
The ACMA also examined betting markets on the Norm Smith Medal in the AFL and the Clive Churchill Medal in the NRL and reached the same conclusion.
It’s worth noting that the ACMA’s investigation and findings are not related to any ongoing Victorian police investigation into the Brownlow Medal count.
