ACMA penalizes betting companies over BetStop breaches

"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 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."

"The investigations showed how easily a harm-reduction tool can break down if operators fail to follow the rules. While each inquiry examined different incidents, the underlying problem showed that the company systems and internal controls failed to properly recognize and block customers who had already registered for self-exclusion."

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) concluded investigations into six wagering companies—Tabcorp, LightningBet, Betfocus, TempleBet, Picklebet, and BetChamps—for breaching self-exclusion safeguards. BetStop is a national register enabling Australians to block themselves from online and telephone betting services. Licensed operators must prevent self-excluded customers from opening accounts, placing bets, or receiving promotions. During 2024, these companies' systems and internal controls failed to properly recognize and block registered self-excluded customers. Some operators allowed self-excluded individuals to open new accounts or continue existing services, while others sent marketing messages to self-excluded customers. ACMA emphasized that the self-exclusion system only functions when operators comply with established rules.

Read at ReadWrite