The grass must probably be greener in the online lottery business that former Ladbrokes’ Australia chief executive officer Dean Shannon is willing to spend almost AUD10 million (US$7.95 million) to advertise his new venture at the peak of horseracing spring carnival next month.

According to The Australian Financial Review, Shannon is now just awaiting for the Aussie regulators to give him the thumbs up in order for his new online lottery and gambling business, Neds to operate.

Shannon is perhaps the second big name to test the water in the Australian online lottery business in the past few weeks. Just six days ago, Australian casino operator Crown Resorts’ digital arm plans to launch an online lottery betting product to compete with Lottoland’s expanding Aussie presence.

His re-entry to the Australian market also raised so many eyebrows, especially at a time when there are strong regulatory headwinds. These headwinds include the point of consumption tax on online betting in South Australia, the banning of credit betting and the pending restriction on betting ads on television during some live sports events.