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AUSTRAC Takes Ladbrokes and Neds’ Operator – Entain – to Federal Court Over Serious Non-compliance with Australia’s Money Laundering Laws

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AUSTRAC commenced civil penalty proceedings in the Federal Court against Entain Group Pty Ltd (Entain), which operates online betting sites including Ladbrokes, Neds and other online betting brands. The proceedings allege serious and systemic non-compliance with Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws.

AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas said the agency considers there were systemic failures in Entain’s approach to its AML/CTF obligations.

“AUSTRAC’s proceedings allege that Entain did not develop and maintain a compliant anti-money laundering program and failed to identify and assess the risks it faced. We are alleging this left the company at serious risk of criminal exploitation.

“Money laundering is often a symptom of serious criminal activity, including fraud, scams and corruption, all of which have equally serious effects on our communities,” he said.

AUSTRAC’s allegations include that:

• Entain’s board and senior management did not have appropriate oversight of its AML/CTF program, which limited its ability to identify the ML/TF risks it faced and its vulnerability to criminal exploitation.

• Entain operated a 24/7 business through its website and app, which created risks that persons unknown to Entain could access and use Entain’s betting platform including through third party providers.

• Third parties, including businesses and individuals, accepted cash and other deposits on behalf of Entain to be credited into betting accounts in ways that could obscure the proceeds of crime. Cash is less transparent than other forms of money and is at higher risk of being the proceeds of crime.

• Entain did not have appropriate controls to confirm the identity of customers making these deposits and the source of this money.

• Entain did not conduct appropriate checks on 17 higher risk customers, including examples where Entain did not appropriately deal with the risk that its online betting sites were being exploited by criminals to spend the proceeds of serious crime. This includes allegations that Entain deliberately obscured the identity of some high risk customers, on its own systems, through the use of pseudonyms to “protect their privacy”.

“This is the first time AUSTRAC has brought civil penalty proceedings against businesses operating in the online betting sector, and the Australian arm of Entain is part of one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming groups,” Mr Thomas said.

“The online betting sector, and all other businesses regulated by AUSTRAC, must take their AML/CTF obligations seriously. This includes ensuring they have appropriate procedures to know who their customer is, even when they rely on third parties to process transactions.”

The action taken is part of AUSTRAC’s ongoing work focussed on gambling businesses in Australia to fight money laundering opportunities in the gambling industry. Following the Federal Court ordering Crown pay $450million in penalties over 2 years in 2023, this year AUSTRAC has seen the Federal Court order SkyCity to pay $63M penalty for breaches to the AML/CTF Act, accept an enforceable undertaking from Sportsbet, continue the Federal Court case against Star and are continuing the regulatory focus on a number of other gambling entities across Australia.

Additionally, the launch of the money laundering National Risk Assessment this year highlighted the highly exposed nature and vulnerability to money laundering online betting agencies face. This valuable resource has been developed support business better understand and develop appropriate measures to mitigate their risks.

It is now a matter for the Federal Court of Australia to determine whether Entain contravened the Act and, if so, what orders to make. AUSTRAC will not provide further comment on this enforcement action while the matter is before the Court.

Non-confidential Court documents related to the Entain matter will be available on the enforcement actions taken page in due course.

“AUSTRAC continues to actively driving out money laundering opportunities in Australia’s gambling industry and we’ll be tireless in our efforts to remove the ability for criminal to use our financial system to their own gain,” Mr Thomas said.

The post AUSTRAC Takes Ladbrokes and Neds’ Operator – Entain – to Federal Court Over Serious Non-compliance with Australia’s Money Laundering Laws appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Australia

BetMakers and Kiron Interactive Launch Virtual Racing Through the BetMakers API

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BetMakers and Kiron Interactive Launch Virtual Racing Through the BetMakers API

BetMakers Technology Group is pleased to announce the successful launch of its new partnership with Kiron Interactive, a global leader in virtual sports and number games. Kiron’s full suite of virtual horse racing, greyhound racing, and harness racing content is now fully integrated and available through the BetMakers CoreAPI.

The completed integration enables BetMakers’ global network of wagering operators to activate Kiron’s market-leading virtual racing content directly within their existing BetMakers setup. This delivers high-frequency, always-on racing products that complement live racing, enhance customer engagement, and drive incremental turnover.

“Kiron has built a reputation as a world-class provider of virtual racing content, and we’re excited to bring their high-quality, high-frequency products directly to our operator network,” said Joey Carroll, Director of Business Development & Partnerships at BetMakers. “With the integration now live, our partners can switch on virtual racing immediately and seamlessly expand their racing offering across all three codes.”

Steven Spartinos, Co-CEO at Kiron Interactive added: “Kiron’s focus has always been to give operators content that fits the way people play today. Virtual racing delivers fast, session-based entertainment that complements the live schedule and keeps audiences connected on their own terms. Integrating with BetMakers opens that experience to a broader network through a single, streamlined API. It strengthens our reach and gives operators a practical way to grow their racing portfolio with reliable, always available content.”

With virtual racing now available via a single, modern API alongside BetMakers’ global racing content, fixed-odds pricing, and tote solutions, operators can offer an even more comprehensive racing experience without any additional platform complexity.

Operators interested in enabling virtual racing can contact their BetMakers Account Manager for activation details.

The post BetMakers and Kiron Interactive Launch Virtual Racing Through the BetMakers API appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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BetMakers Signs Multi-Year Agreement to Launch CrownBet

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BetMakers Technology Group Ltd announced that it has entered into an exclusive five-year agreement with Betfair Australia (Betfair) as the sole technology provider for the launch of the premium Australian wagering brand CrownBet.

Highlights:

• BetMakers signed an exclusive five-year technology and services agreement with Betfair to deliver a full wagering stack for the development of CrownBet.

• BetMakers to supply its complete end-to-end solution, including a fully customised deployment of the Apollo wagering platform, trading and risk services, a content engine and the core Apollo technology.

• The agreement marks the most significant commercial milestone for the Apollo products and establishes a Tier-1 strategic partnership with Betfair, part of the Crown Resorts group.

• Commercial terms include a hybrid of fixed fees and revenue share, designed to expand recurring revenue and align BetMakers’ with the long-term success of CrownBet.

• CrownBet is targeting to launch in Q1 CY26, with platform activation and compliance workstreams already underway.

Under the agreement, BetMakers will deliver its full wagering stack for CrownBet, including a fully customised deployment of the Company’s Apollo wagering platform, trading and risk management, content engine and core platform technology. The end-to-end solution positions BetMakers as the technology and operational backbone of the CrownBet offering from launch.

The partnership represents the most significant commercial milestone to date for the Apollo platform and further validates BetMakers’ strategy to provide a complete, vertically integrated B2B wagering solution to Tier-1 operators globally. The agreement also establishes a landmark alignment with Betfair and its parent company, Crown Resorts – one of Australia’s most recognised entertainment and hospitality groups.

The agreement contains customary terms and conditions for a contract of this nature, including with respect to termination.

BetMakers COO, Martin Tripp, said: “This partnership is a major endorsement of our end-to-end B2B strategy and a milestone for the Apollo platform. To be selected by Betfair to power the return of CrownBet demonstrates the scalability, performance and commercial flexibility of our technology stack. By combining our Apollo platform with deep industry expertise and talent within Betfair, we are confident we can deliver a market-leading wagering experience and help to position CrownBet as a formidable player in the Australian market.”

Amy Zavros, CEO of Betfair, added: “Betfair is evolving to meet the changing needs of Australian customers by introducing a new fixed odds product under the CrownBet brand and required a technology partner capable of delivering a top tier product from day one. Following a rigorous RFI and evaluation process, BetMakers was the clear choice. Their technology, trading and services capability provides the foundation we need to bring CrownBet to market at the intended scale and complement our Betfair betting exchange, giving customers greater choice, value and innovation. The launch of CrownBet is targeted for early 2026.”

The post BetMakers Signs Multi-Year Agreement to Launch CrownBet appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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BNDRY Announced as the Next Innovation to Feature at Pitch! – Regulating the Game 2026 Sydney

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Pitch! @RTG is designed to surface transformative ideas — a crucible where technology meets real-world regulatory challenges, where compliance is re-engineered for purpose, and where new approaches to governance and sector leadership are tested in front of regulators, operators and innovators.

BNDRY exemplifies this mission. As pubs and clubs come under heightened scrutiny under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) Act, BNDRY has partnered with Cherryhub to deliver a compliance platform purpose-built for the operational realities of hospitality venues. Rather than retrofitting systems designed for banks, BNDRY and Cherryhub have engineered a solution for gaming floors, member-based venues and mixed-cash environments.

Many venues grapple with fragmented systems and the complexity of monitoring both carded and uncarded play. BNDRY and Cherryhub tackle this head-on. The platform integrates gaming machine data, member and visitor profiles, and frontline observational inputs into a single operational dashboard — providing clarity and automation where venues have long struggled.

The platform streamlines and automates the core AML/CTF obligations that pubs and clubs need to do continuously:

• Knowing members, visitors and staff

• Monitoring behaviour and transactions to detect anomalies

• Reporting to AUSTRAC

• Securely storing compliance records for seven years.

This new approach bridges the gap between bank-grade compliance capability and the fast-paced, people-driven realities of pubs and clubs — offering a scalable, auditable and future-ready solution as regulatory expectations continue to rise.

“BNDRY is a standout example of the practical innovation Pitch! was built to spotlight. Pitch! exists to surface the RegTech, policy and research innovations the sector often doesn’t know are out there — a crucible where ideas, technology and regulatory practice are tested and refined. That mix of capability and imagination is exactly what will strengthen regulatory outcomes and uplift the sector,” said Paul Newson, Principal at Vanguard Overwatch and founder of Regulating the Game.

“Australia’s pubs and clubs are facing financial crime risks and compliance expectations unlike anything before, and AUSTRAC’s focus on the sector is only intensifying. Venues need solutions built for their operational realities — not repurposed bank tech — which is why we built BNDRY. Through our partnership with Cherryhub, we’re integrating data from multiple systems, reconciling player activity, and automating the heavy lifting, to make AML/CTF compliance operationally achievable while showing what’s possible when purpose-built technology meets real-world challenges,” said John Rayment, CEO of BNDRY.

The post BNDRY Announced as the Next Innovation to Feature at Pitch! – Regulating the Game 2026 Sydney appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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