De-Anne Kelly voted to ban offshore casinos, then co-founded one
Howard-era minister De-Anne Kelly voted for the 2001 law banning offshore gambling sites in Australia, then later became co-founder and chief compliance officer of LuckyBet, a Caribbean online casino.
Leaked documents from Curaçao's gambling regulator show Kelly held a major shareholding in LuckyBet and served as the casino's chief compliance officer when it applied for a licence in March 2024. Her son Ian Parke was listed as director and co-shareholder.
Decades earlier, Kelly had voted for the Interactive Gambling Act, arguing gambling websites were "exploiting the vulnerable and susceptible in our society". LuckyBet was warned by Australia's communications regulator in September 2025 for allegedly breaking that same law by offering prohibited services to Australian customers.
Kelly had sold her stake by the time the warning came. The leaked documents were released by a German activist investigating Caribbean casinos; Kelly and Parke have not responded to requests for comment.
- Interactive Gambling Act
- Act Kelly voted for
- March 2024
- License application date
- September 2025
- Regulatory warning date
Why it mattersThe revelation raises serious questions about conflicts of interest in making and enforcing gambling law, especially given the regulator's stated focus on illegal online casinos.
AustraliaAustralia's gambling regulator says it will assess whether Kelly's previously unknown ownership connection warrants further investigation into LuckyBet's operations targeting Australian customers.
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