The Australian media watchdog is pursuing legal action against prominent figures in the country’s poker community. Rhys Edward Jones, Diverse Link Pty Ltd, and Brenton Lee Buttigieg are under scrutiny for allegedly operating an unlawful online gambling enterprise, violating the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act.
Jones and Diverse Link are accused of providing Australians with access to online gambling services between March 2020 and March 2021, while Buttigieg allegedly marketed the venture and recruited participants. The operation went by several aliases – PPPfish, Shuffle Gaming, and Redraw Poker – but the ACMA remained on their case throughout.
The ACMA asserts that from March 2, 2020, Jones and Diverse Link’s platform enabled Australians to engage in online poker for real currency. They employed a sophisticated method: players joined poker clubs via a mobile application and purchased chips with real money through bank transfers or Bitcoin on separate websites. These chips were then used to participate in poker games within the app, and any winnings could be withdrawn.
These individuals are facing potentially severe repercussions. Individual penalties could amount to as much as AUD 1.7 million – a substantial sum to forfeit for a poker game.
People who violate these regulations could incur financial penalties reaching \$2 million, with corporations potentially facing sanctions five times greater.
The organization tasked with upholding the prohibition of unauthorized online wagering platforms in Australia has indicated they will not provide additional remarks, as the case is currently under judicial consideration.