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Sports Betting

The government initiated important changes to the regulation of sports betting in Victoria with the passage of the Gambling and Racing Legislation Amendment (Sports Betting) Act 2007. These changes are part of the government’s strategy to improve public confidence in the integrity of sport in a betting environment and ensure that sporting bodies receive a proportion of revenue from betting conducted on sporting events.

New provisions for betting on sport and other events took effect on 1 October 2007, and provide for:

• the transfer of responsibility for approving sporting and other non-racing events for betting purposes from the Minister for Gaming and the Minister for Racing to the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation
• the ability for sporting organisations to apply to the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation to be approved as the sports controlling body for betting purposes on their sport
• the restrictions on sports betting providers who have 6 months to reach a revenue-sharing agreement with the relevant approved sports controlling body of an approved sporting event. Without an agreement, bets cannot continue to be offered on the sporting event. Agreements with new entrants to the Victorian betting market will need to be made with sports controlling bodies before bets can be taken.
• the right of sports betting providers to seek dispute resolution through the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation where agreement cannot be reached with the approved sports controlling body
• the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation to have the explicit power to prohibit particular contingencies considered inappropriate for betting purposes.

Further information

The Act and Regulations can be viewed at the Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents website.

The Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation has approved a form to be used by applicants wishing to be approved as a Sports Controlling Body. A copy of the form and additional information can be viewed on the Victorian Commission for Gambling Regulation website.