Betfair has won a groundbreaking judgment in the Australian High Court in relation to allowing online bets by Western Australian residents.
The Tasmanian-licensed betting exchange won its challenge against Western Australia laws that banned residents from using the Betfair service. The High Court has ruled that the legislation contravenes section 92 of the constitution.
The unanimous decision prompted Queensland’s tote operation Unitab to say it was considering setting up a rival betting exchange. Barrie Fletton was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald as saying “if it looks like something the public embraces we'll set up our own service, similar to Betfair. That would stop any revenue leakage going from Queensland into Tasmania.”