Warne-linked bet site under investigation

Thursday, 25 March 2010, 02:41 IST
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Melbourne: A Shane Warne-endorsed online betting site is under investigation by Australia's communications watchdog. According to The Australian, a spokesman for the Australian Communications and Media Authority has confirmed to have received a complaint that the betting site 888sport was in breach of the Integrated Gambling Act. "We have had one complaint and our investigation is ongoing. However, we have not closed down the site," the spokesman was quoted as saying Tuesday. There is no suggestion former Australian spin king Warne, who is playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is aware of the site's legal status. The site was up and running Tuesday and taking bets on races in Victoria and NSW. By afternoon the site suddenly went offline. It stated the service was temporarily unavailable, the report said. "When the paper contacted the company believed to be owned by 888 Holdings PLC, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, a customer service spokesman said: "We are temporarily unavailable. That's all I know." Asked if the problem was software-related, the spokesman said: "Don't know. We have been told to just say the service is temporarily unavailable." The English company uses Warne to heavily promote its international poker site. The site's home page has a large photograph of Warne and has the Australian flag across the top. It has a link to a Warne site that carries a biography of the leg-spinner, plus news updates and videos of his poker exploits.
Source: IANS