Free jelly beans have left a sour taste for the betting site TAB, which faces hefty fines and legal costs for breaching gambling advertising regulations.
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On March 30, TAB-branded packets of jelly beans and mints, which featured the slogan "Nothing's as sweet as a win", were handed to commuters at Martin Place and Town Hall stations in Sydney's CBD.
The TAB promotion was timed to coincide with The Championships, Racing NSW's premier racing event, which is held on the first two Saturdays in April.
One of those receiving a packet was Greens MP Justin Field, who is the party's spokesman for gaming. Mr Field noticed there was no mention of the need to gamble responsibly on the jelly bean packet.
The same day, Mr Field wrote to Paul Toole, the Minister for Racing, alerting him to the inappropriate gambling advertising by the TAB and possible breaches of the betting rules.
Liquor and Gaming NSW launched an investigation that has resulted in the TAB entering a guilty plea to two counts of breaching the Betting and Racing Regulation.
The guilty pleas relate to the TAB's failure to include the need to gamble responsibly on the free packets of jelly beans and mints. One guilty plea relates to Martin Place and the other to Town Hall.
The TAB is owned by the public-listed gaming giant Tabcorp, which claims on its website that its mission is to support the racing industry.
"Excellence and integrity remain at the heart of everything we do," the website says.
As well as the early guilty pleas, David Attenborough, Tabcorp's managing director, has promised Liquor and Gaming that any future TAB-branded merchandise will have the warning to gamble responsibly.
He has also agreed that the merchandise will not be given to people under the age of 18.
The TAB has agreed to pay Liquor and Gaming's legal costs of $10,000 and the courts will determine what penalty will be imposed. With the TAB facing a maximum fine for each offence of $5500, the free jelly bean giveaway has turned out to be a costly affair.
"The penalty of a $5000 fine is a slap on the wrist for a big gambling organisation like the TAB who make huge profits from our community," Mr Field said.
"It's not on to market gambling as harmless fun, when it's designed to addict people and take hard-earned money out of their pockets and communities," he added.
A spokesman for Mr Toole said, "It is not appropriate for the minister to comment when inquiries are ongoing, or when a matter is before the courts."
