Unlawful Gambling Act 1998
8Offences relating to unlawful betting
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8 Offences relating to unlawful betting
8 Offences relating to unlawful betting
(1) For the purposes of this section, the following forms of betting are prohibited—
(a) betting on any event or contingency if the person is not present at a licensed racecourse and the bet is made with a bookmaker,
(b) betting on any event or contingency (other than a horse race, harness race, greyhound race or declared betting event) when the person is present at a licensed racecourse,
(c) betting on any event or contingency when the person is present at a racecourse and a trial meeting (within the meaning of the Betting and Racing Act 1998) is being held at that racecourse,
(d) betting on any event or contingency when the person is present at a racecourse and a race meeting is being held at that racecourse in contravention of the Betting and Racing Act 1998.
(2) A person who engages in betting that is prohibited by subsection (1) is guilty of an offence.
Maximum penalty—50 penalty units or imprisonment for 12 months (or both).
(3) A person must not make a bet on any horse race, harness race or greyhound race that is to be held anywhere in Australia if—
(a) the bet is made by telephone or electronically by means of the Internet, subscription TV or other on-line communications system, and
(b) the bet is made with another person whom the person making the bet knows (or would be reasonably expected to know)—
(i) is not a legal bookmaker, or
(ii) is not a person who is authorised under the law of any State or Territory to conduct totalizator betting.
Maximum penalty—50 penalty units or imprisonment for 12 months (or both).
(4) For the purposes of subsection (3)—
legal bookmaker means—
(a) a licensed bookmaker, or
(b) a person who is authorised under the law of any other State or Territory to carry on bookmaking activities.
(4A) Subsection (3) extends to a bet that is made by a person while in the State even though the other person with whom the bet is made is outside the State (including outside Australia).