Australia’s media and communications regulator has taken decisive enforcement action against four betting companies after investigations revealed violations of self-exclusion rules under the national BetStop register. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found that Buddybet, Ultrabet, VicBet, and Topbet all failed to comply with critical regulatory obligations designed to protect individuals who have voluntarily removed themselves from online gambling.

The breaches came to light through separate investigations conducted by the ACMA, which is tasked with ensuring operators adhere to Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act and consumer protection measures introduced under the National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering.

Breaches Uncovered: Account Closures Ignored, Marketing Missteps

According to the ACMA’s findings, Buddybet did not shut down accounts belonging to users who had registered for self-exclusion via BetStop and also distributed marketing content to those users. The company has since exited the Australian market, but the violations highlight serious lapses in its former compliance regime.

In another case, Ultrabet was found to have reactivated an account immediately following the end of an individual’s exclusion period without requiring the user to explicitly opt back in—a direct breach of the BetStop rules. Additionally, Ultrabet facilitated the sending of promotional material to a separate self-excluded individual.

The rules are explicit: once someone registers with BetStop, wagering providers must close their accounts as quickly as possible and cannot reopen them unless the individual makes a clear, intentional decision to resume gambling. Marketing materials—whether via email, SMS, or other digital formats—must not be sent to self-excluded individuals under any circumstance.

As part of its enforcement strategy, ACMA accepted a legally binding undertaking from Ultrabet, obligating the company to overhaul its compliance operations. This includes a thorough internal review and implementation of more rigorous procedures to prevent future infractions.

Formal Warnings Issued to VicBet and Topbet

In two additional investigations, the ACMA found that VicBet and Topbet had each sent marketing messages to individuals registered with BetStop, thereby breaching the same self-exclusion marketing regulations. As a result, both operators were issued formal warnings.

These incidents underscore the importance of robust internal controls and technology systems capable of interfacing accurately with the BetStop register to flag and exclude self-excluded individuals. Without such safeguards, companies risk serious regulatory consequences.

PointsBet Case Offers Additional Lessons

The regulatory crackdown follows a similar enforcement action earlier this year involving PointsBet, which also failed to uphold several obligations under the Interactive Gambling Act. Technical failures in its internal systems led to 228 accounts of registered individuals remaining open past the acceptable closure period and over 500 promotional messages being delivered to self-excluded customers.

PointsBet’s infractions included not promoting BetStop in over 22,000 promotional messages and failing to close accounts within the expected timeframe, even where no outstanding bets remained. Although PointsBet was not fined under the gambling laws for these breaches, the company incurred a $500,800 penalty for breaching spam regulations by sending more than 800 marketing messages without unsubscribe options.

In response, PointsBet submitted to a court-enforceable undertaking that mandates comprehensive auditing, additional staff training, and the implementation of a formal BetStop compliance policy.

ACMA Reaffirms Commitment to Enforcing Compliance

ACMA Authority Member Carolyn Lidgerwood emphasized the regulator’s zero-tolerance stance on non-compliance. “Wagering providers should know their obligations under the rules and know that we are enforcing them. The rules about account closure must be complied with,” she said.

Lidgerwood highlighted the significance of protecting those who actively choose to distance themselves from gambling: “People on the NSER have made a conscious effort to exclude themselves from online gambling services. Sending gambling marketing messages to people who are trying to stop gambling is unacceptable.”

She stressed that all betting services must implement and maintain systems that respect these choices or risk regulatory penalties: “Betting services must have systems in place that respect the decisions of people to self-exclude, or face further consequences.”