Tabcorp has been fined AU$1m in Victoria over its handling of regulatory directions during an investigation in 2020.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission said the Australian company did not comply with two Commission directives issued during the regulator’s investigation of Tabcorp’s system outage in the 2020 Spring Racing Carnival.
The first response from Tabcorp failed to produce a sufficient response relating to the Wagering and Betting Licence and Agreement, with the response to the second direction - sent in the form of a compliant report - submitted four months after the deadline.
The largest ever fine imposed on Tabcorp by the VGCCC “reflects Tabcorp’s repeated failure to comply with Commission directions to provide information concerning the outage,” the regulator said.
Tabcorp’s Wagering and Betting System was left unavailable for approximately 36 hours in the incident, contravening the obligation under the Wagering and Betting Licence and Agreement for the WBL to be continuously available.
VGCCC chair Fran Thorn said: “We will not tolerate licensees that are not forthcoming and cooperative when the Commission investigates.
“The Commission had to use its compulsory powers and issue directions because Tabcorp did not provide the information we required about the business continuity and disaster recovery capability of its systems. It is Tabcorp’s failure to comply with these directions that has led to the fine announced today (Tuesday).
“All entities we regulate — no matter how big or small — have an obligation to be open and honest with the Commission and responsive to its lawfully issued directions. We will not tolerate attempts to frustrate our investigations.”
