In-play betting, also known as live betting or in-the-run betting, has become one of the most popular features of sports betting platforms. All over Europe, and in most other regions of the world, sports betting websites allow bettors to place bets on the outcome of a game or sporting event even after the event has started; but not in Australia.
So, while people enjoy sports betting for real money, including the freedom of in-play betting after a game has started, Australian bettors are only allowed to place bets before an event starts. But could this change in the near future?
What is in-play betting?
In-play betting is a feature of online betting where you can place bets on games after the games have started. There are many reasons why bettors are interested in in-play betting. Maybe the player found out about the game after the event has started and would like the opportunity to win or add some excitement to a game they have just tuned into. In-play betting also offers an opportunity to change your strategy, or cash out, if the odds have changed after an initial pre-match bet.
In-play betting in Australia
Australia has already moved to ban in-play betting. The laws are contained in 2001 gambling legislation known as IGA restriction.
The IGA restriction on in-play betting means that online bets can only be placed on a sporting event up until the commencement of play, but that once play has started, bets can no longer be placed. However, in-play betting on racing events, like horse racing, is allowed under the IGA restriction.
As a result of the IGA restriction, no Australian betting site offer in-play betting to Australians. With in-play betting allowed in Europe and other parts of the world, Australians seek out sites in these regions where they can bet in-play. In fact, live or in-play betting is huge in Europe and accounts for about 90% of bets on tennis, soccer and cricket.
It is important to point out here that even though the law bans in-play betting, the IGA restriction applies only to Australian sports gambling sites and not the players. This means that while in-play betting is illegal if you find an Australian site that offers it, you are free to do so. It is the site and their operators that will face the legal responsibility should the government find out.
The restriction on in-play betting is part of the government's effort to curb rising gambling addiction in Australia.
Even though Australians are free to use foreign or offshore gambling sites for in-play betting, the government is increasingly making it difficult for foreign websites to accept Australian customers and their deposits. This is because these foreign sites cannot be regulated to prevent match-fixing and other gambling-related scams, as well as for security reasons.
Will in-play betting be allowed in Australia?
Australians are increasingly flocking over to foreign and offshore gambling sites in order to access the in-play betting feature and this has become a source of concern for the Australian government. Another concern, of course, is that Australian money is seeping out of the country as punters patronize non-Australian sports betting sites.
There is little or no way to regulate these foreign sites, and most, if not all of them, don't believe in information sharing with the Australian government. In view of this, the Australian authorities may see no option but to join the rest of Europe in legalizing in-play betting across all sporting events in the country.
Already, the government has put in place a commission to look into in-play betting as a way of discouraging punters from using unregulated websites. If this happens, Australia will finally join countries that allow players to place bets on sporting events even after the events have kicked off. However, as with most government policies, this may take some time to become a reality.
