Several of Australia’s largest gambling platforms have been penalised after failing to enforce rules protecting people with gambling problems.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found some platforms failed to stop people registered with BetStop from making accounts, and sent them marketing material.
BetStop allows people to ban themselves from online betting services for periods ranging from three months to a lifetime.
BetStop
The Government launched BetStop in 2023.
It allows people to ban themselves from placing a bet with digital and phone betting providers for a minimum of three months to a lifetime.
Registrants who have applied for lifelong self-exclusion can choose to cancel it, but only after three months and discussions with a counsellor or their health professional.
A total of 55,000 people have registered to self-exclude since the scheme’s launch, according to ACMA’s most recent report.
Since then, almost 20,000 people have either completed their self-exclusion period or cancelled it early.
As of the end of 2025, just over 35,000 people had active exclusions in place.
Almost 50% of all registrations were from people under the age of 30, while nearly 40% of applicants opted for a lifetime ban.
Breaches
Under BetStop, digital betting providers must ensure that a person registered for self exclusion:
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Your details:
- cannot access their old account,
- does not receive marketing material,
- and cannot make a new account.
ACMA requires these companies to demonstrate they have “taken reasonable precautions and exercised due diligence to comply.”
Its investigation of Tabcorp, LightningBet, Betfocus, TempleBet, Picklebet, and BetChamps found repeated breaches of these requirements throughout 2024.
ACMA said gaps in the providers’ “underlying systems and processes... failed to adequately identify and protect people who had self-excluded.”
This meant some people registered with BetStop were allowed to open accounts, access betting, or were sent marketing materials.
The watchdog ordered Betfocus, LightningBet, and TempleBet to commission independent audits of their systems.
Tabcorp was the only company fined, paying $113,000. It will also be required to hold a third-party review of its verification processes and conduct staff compliance training.
BetChamps received a formal warning, while Picklebet’s penalty is yet to be determined.
ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood said the failures undermined trust in the system and “let people down.”
ACMA suggested that if these breaches are detected again, it may take betting companies to court.
