SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Four Australian betting operators have breached rules around continuing to engage with consumers registered with BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register (NSER).
Buddybet, Ultrabet, VicBet and Topbet were each investigated by The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for unlawful acts against those wanting to cut down on gambling.
Firstly, Ultrabet was found guilty of reopening an account of someone at the end of their self-exclusion period and allowed that person to bet with that account. The firm also sent out marketing to another self-excluded person.
The NSER demands that once an individual registers with the service, operators must close that person’s account as soon as possible. The ACMA explained that accounts “must not be reopened or reinstated” once a person ceases to be registered with the NSER.
Instead, people at the end of their self-exclusion period who want to recommence gambling need to make a clear and deliberate choice to do so. Providers must also not send self-excluded people any form of electronic promotions or marketing including via emails or texts.
Authority member, Carolyn Lidgerwood, stated: “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.”
BetStop was launched in August 2023 as a free Australian Government initiative, and allows users to exclude themself from all Australian licensed online and phone wagering services in a single step.
“People on the NSER have made a conscious effort to exclude themselves from online gambling services,” Lingerwood summarised the platform’s purpose..
“Sending gambling marketing messages to people who are trying to stop gambling is unacceptable. Betting services must have systems in place that respect the decisions of people to self-exclude, or face further consequences.”
In order to prevent such instances from occurring, the ACMA has previously put emphasis on operators to; Implement robust monitoring systems, close registered individual accounts promptly, review marketing systems and procedures and monitor system changes and updates.
Player safety crackdown
Just a few weeks ago, Unibet received a AU$1m (£480,700/€560,100) penalty for the same wrongdoings. The FDJ United-owned operator had failed to close hundreds of accounts registered with BetStop.
A similar ACMA investigation accused the Unibet brand of over 100,000 contraventions of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
The main breach in question concerned the firm’s failure to close 954 customer accounts after said customers had registered with the NESR.
Meanwhile, PointsBet Australia Pty Ltd was also recently hit with an AUD$501k (£242k) fine by the ACMA over advertising breaches.
The authority launched an investigation into the online gambling provider, which uncovered “more than 800 messages” as part of what the regulator said was a spam advertisement campaign in contravention of e-marketing laws.
Details around the investigation revealed that in the period between September and November 2023, PointsBet had sent 705 emails with a direct link to its gambling products without the option to unsubscribe from such messaging.
