Australia Post linked to illicit online gaming transactions

A piece of investigative journalism has revealed that a company owned by the Australian postal service has been providing financial services to offshore online casinos illicitly operating in the country.

According to a report by The New Daily, POLi Payments – a subsidiary of the government-owned Australia Post service – is recommended by “hundreds of offshore casinos” as a means to move funds from Australian bank accounts to the international accounts of online gambling providers.

The newspaper alleges that POLi Payments has earned at least A$5m (E3.43m) since Australia Post purchased the company back in October 2014, although a spokesperson for the postal service has disputed this figure.

The revelation has prompter Australian senator Nick Xenophon to issue a public call on Australia Post to immediately suspend the transaction service.

“I will be asking Australia Post for an urgent explanation for why it is doing this because as a government business enterprise and good corporate citizen the corporation should not be involved,” he said.

The overseas provision of online, casino-style products to Australian residents is outlawed under the country’s Interactive Gambling Act. Under the terms of the act, Australian players are immune from prosecution – but providers can face a fine of up to A$1.8m (E1.23m) for every day they are found to have been active in Australian jurisdiction.