Mr Allen said he was talking with his advisors about what it might do next. The new law blocks the viewing of any betting site that doesn't hold a licence under the law of an Australian territory, and threatens the agencies and their directors with hefty fines and criminal charges if Australians use their sites.
'It's difficult quantify the losses, it's a lot about New Zealanders in Australia betting with us and we can't easily track that.' NZRB chief executive John Allen said. New Zealanders travelling within Australia would also be unable to access the TAB, as any device with an Australian IP address would be banned from viewing the website. The New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB), which operates TAB, has been forced to close the accounts of its Australia-based clients. The new rules were intended to target underground sites in Asia from offering bets on Australian sports and racing, but New Zealand betting agency TAB has also been caught up in the ban. The Australian Interactive Gambling Amendment Act came into force yesterday, banning any betting website that did not hold a license in the country.
