The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has opted against investigating William Hill over its ‘Click to Call’ betting feature, despite having come under political and regulatory pressure to do so by politicians in the country.

In August, the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA) referred Click to Call to the AFP before Australian Social Services Minister Scott Morrison described the feature as “illegal” in September.

Click to Call, which was introduced by William Hill in April, allows punters to connect to live betting markets via telephone bets through and laptop and smartphone devices, thereby circumventing laws in the country that prohibit operators from offering online in-play live sports markets.

“Following evaluation, in line with the AFP’s case categorisation and prioritisation model, this matter was not accepted by the AFP for further investigation,” the AFP said.

Tom Waterhouse, who runs the William Hill Australia operation after the bookmaker acquired his online business in August 2013, had previously said that his company was “100-per-cent confident” that the feature was not illegal.

He added after the latest development: “William Hill has received formal confirmation that the AFP will not be investigating the complaints referred to it by the ACMA regarding its ‘in-play’ product that allows customers to bet live during a game with just a few taps.

“This is a great outcome for Australian punters who will no longer be forced to bet in-play via illegal offshore bookmakers which pose a huge threat to both consumer protection and the integrity of Australian sport.”

The development represents a victory for William Hill Australia, and although the ACMA said that it had concerns that the feature would remain in place, it added that it would accept the AFP’s opinion.