Online sports betting followed, with, an online gambling website, launching in 1996. Nongovernment sportsbooks didn’t appear until 1993, when Sportsbet became the first private company to obtain a license. That year, Totalisator Agency Boards began taking bets on sports – typically soccer, cricket and boxing. While horse betting has long been legal in Australia, sports betting wasn’t legal until 1983. This prompted state governments to open off-course betting companies, starting with the state of Victoria’s Totalisator Agency Board in 1961.
Their prices tended to be favorable because, unlike official bookmakers at the tracks, they didn’t pay a tax. This was a hassle for many bettors, so illegal bookies started taking bets in places like bars. Australia has a long history of state-sanctioned gambling, dating back to the first known organized horse racing event, which took place in 1810.īettors were initially required to go to a race track to place a bet.
