Six operators have been hit with enforcement actions for breaching self-exclusion compliance rules in Australia.
The investigations conducted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) affect operators Tabcorp, LightningBet, Betfocus, TempleBet, Picklebet and BetChamps.
All compliance failures were related to people registered on BetStop, Australia’s national self-exclusion scheme, varying from allowing self-excluded persons to access wagering services, to targeting such individuals with marketing. All breaches occurred in 2024.
The largest operator in Australia in terms of retail presence, Tabcorp, has accepted a penalty of AU$112.7k (£57.5k), in addition to a Federal Court-enforceable agreement to conduct a third-party review of its customer verification processes in place and further staff training on self-exclusion.
Betfocus, LightningBet and TempleBet have been given remedial directions by the regulator, which obligates them to conduct an independent audit of their player safety checks and follow through on any resulting recommendations – with further compliance failure leading to potential civil penalties.
A formal warning has been issued to BetChamps, while the ACMA is in the process of finalising the enforcement action against Picklebet.
Carolyn Lidgerwood, ACMA member, commented: “The national self-exclusion register is designed to help people who are trying to avoid gambling services and stop gambling, but self-exclusion only works if wagering providers follow the rules.
“These rules have been in place for more than two years and wagering providers should be taking their responsibilities seriously.
“When people decide to self-exclude themselves from online and telephone gambling, they trust the system to protect them from gambling harm. These investigations have found that these companies broke that trust and let people down.
“All licensed wagering providers need to be aware that the ACMA is investigating compliance and enforcing the rules. Gambling companies must have effective systems in place to ensure self-excluded people cannot gamble with them.”
Launched in 2023, BetStop is currently undergoing a statutory review expected early 2026, which aims to assess the effectiveness of the register and address critical operational deficiencies such as some BetStop-registered players still receiving gambling marketing.
This review ties in with ongoing debates on wider reforms in the Australian gambling legislature, namely the still-to-be implemented 31 recommendations from the Murphy report, devised by the late Peta Murphy.
The document suggests that a unified gambling regulator is created to end the current supervisory fragmentation of the Australian market, with the sole entity taking charge of the national problem gambling projects such as BetStop as well.