Australian customers who lost money through Entain’s Fast Code betting service have been automatically included in a class action alleging the product breached the country’s gambling laws.
The Supreme Court of Victoria has ordered Entain, which operates the Neds and Ladbrokes betting brands in the Australian market, to notify all affected customers about the proceedings and explain their rights in the class action.
Entain disputes the allegation that its Fast Code service was unlawful.
Fast Code and Australia’s In-Play Betting Rules
The case revolves around in-play betting, which is generally prohibited online in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA) once a sporting event has started.
However, there is an exception in place, namely, wagers placed wholly by telephone. The restriction has led betting operators to develop systems designed to allow customers to place in-play wagers.
Fast Code worked using a code-based system. Customers were able to select an in-play wager online and receive an alphanumeric code, which could then be communicated through an automated telephone service to place the bet.
Similar systems had previously been used by other operators, including William Hill’s Click to Call product.
However, changes to Australian gambling legislation introduced in 2016 and enacted the following year were intended to close this type of loophole by requiring telephone betting services to be conducted wholly by voice.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigated the use of Fast and Quick Code products and concluded in December 2023 that several operators had breached the IGA.
According to ACMA’s findings, key information, including the customer’s bet selection, bet type, stake, and confirmation of the wager, needed to be communicated entirely through a telephone call.
ACMA ultimately did not pursue enforcement action after operators completed the system changes.
Entain Seeks to Recover Winnings
The class action covers customers who used Entain’s Fast Code Service between March 4, 2019, and March 4, 2025, and allegedly suffered losses from those wagers.
Entain has maintained that its service complied with Australian gambling laws. Following changes to the system, Fast Codes were generated before sporting events began and were generic rather than being created from individual customers’ selections.
Entain has also filed a counterclaim addressing the potential financial consequences if the class action succeeds.
The company argues that if losing bets must be refunded, it should also be entitled to recover winnings previously paid to customers who participated in the Fast Code betting system.