BlueBet has been fined $53,380 by the Northern Territory Racing and Wagering Commission (NTRWC) for failing to adequately intervene when a customer gambled more than $700,000 through its platform. The customer reported losses of around $570,000 before their account was closed.
According to the Commission’s decision report, a BlueBet VIP account manager continued to encourage the customer to wager, including offering bonus bets, despite signs of problematic gambling behavior. The Commission noted one instance in which the customer spent approximately $40,000 during an 11-hour session, after which the manager encouraged further gambling activity.
To convince him to continue gambling despite massive losses on a regular basis, the VIP manager would put bonus bets on the account, encouraging gambling with a buffer of free turns.
BlueBet argued that it did check on the individual when it found that multiple attempts to gamble with his credit card failed. The NTRWC wasn’t convinced, claiming that this was spurred on by failed transactions, not the person themselves.
NTRWC on BlueBet
Speaking in the decision report, the NTRWC said:
“At no stage did the account manager make mention that BlueBet was concerned about his wagering activities from a responsible gambling perspective.
“Rather, the VIP manager continued to encourage the complainant to wager with BlueBet through the promise of the provision of upcoming bonuses.
“Given the numerous earlier red flags, it is extremely concerning that it took the complainant himself reaching out to BlueBet for his account to be closed.
“BlueBet missed multiple opportunities for timely and appropriate action, and it’s disappointing that the responsibility fell on the complainant rather than BlueBet taking a more assertive role in protecting the complainant from further harm.”
BlueBet and Betr merged last year, and in August 2024, it adopted the Betr branding. It has also been on a small acquisition spree, which we reported on earlier this year. Last year, it was fined for advertising breaches.
Featured image: BlueBet
