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A number of licensed betting providers are said to have breached self-exclusion rules, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
Australia’s independent commonwealth statutory authority, which regulates communications and media services in the country, has recently announced that it is conducting several investigations.
The ACMA said investigations found Tabcorp, LightningBet, Betfocus, TempleBet, Picklebet, and BetChamps “all failed to comply with the rules protection of persons registered with BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register.”
The ACMA found six betting providers breached gambling self-exclusion rules by failing to identify and protect self-excluded people.
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— ACMA (@acmadotgov) January 29, 2026
They confirm that the facts of each investigation are different, but the alleged violations among them include allowing registered individuals to open betting accounts and to access betting services, or marketing to registered individuals.
The ACMA provides insight into the outcome of investigations into providers
ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood said in a press release that these violations undermine the protections from gambling harm offered by self-exclusion: “The national register of self-exclusion is designed to help people who try to avoid gambling services and stop gambling, but self-exclusion only works if betting providers follow the rules.
“These rules have been in place for over two years and betting providers need to take their responsibilities seriously.” He went on to explain how people who exclude themselves from online and telephone gambling trust that the system will protect them from gambling harm.
The authority said that the investigations identified that the providers did not ensure that their underlying systems and processes were working as intended and failed to adequately identify and protect people who were not included in themselves. They said more enforcement tools were used following the findings.
At Betfocus, LightningBet, and TempleBet, remedial directions were issued, which means that the providers are required by law to order an independent audit of their systems and implement any resulting recommendations. The ACMA says that failure to comply is an offense and can result in a civil penalty.
Tabcorp Holdings paid a penalty of $112,680 and agreed to enter into a court-enforceable undertaking requiring the company to commission a third-party review of its customer verification processes and train staff on their obligations around the Register.
BetChamps has been given a formal warning and the ACMA is now finalizing enforcement action for Picklebet.
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The post Six betting providers breached gambling self-exclusion rules, ACMA says first appeared in ReadWrite.
