The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) recently announced that it has taken regulatory actions against four gambling service providers for violating the provisions of the National Self-Exclusion Register (NSER) and BetStop. The companies involved include Buddybet, Ultrabet, VicBet, and Topbet.
Following a series of investigations, ACMA confirmed that these operators failed to fulfill their obligations to protect customers who voluntarily chose to self-exclude. For instance, Buddybet did not promptly close the accounts of users who registered for self-exclusion and continued to send them gambling-related marketing messages. Notably, Buddybet has now exited the Australian market.
In the case of Ultrabet, the investigation revealed that the company immediately reactivated an account for a user once their self-exclusion period had ended, without requiring the user to actively reapply for inclusion. Additionally, the platform sent promotional materials to another user who was still in a state of self-exclusion, constituting a clear violation.
Under the NSER system, gambling operators must immediately terminate all services for an account once a user requests self-exclusion, and they must not push any form of gambling marketing content. Even after the exclusion period ends, it should be up to the user to actively apply for account restoration, and operators should not restart services unilaterally.
In response, ACMA accepted a legally enforceable undertaking from Ultrabet. The company committed to thoroughly review its internal compliance systems and business operation processes to prevent similar issues from occurring again.
Furthermore, VicBet and Topbet were also formally warned by ACMA for sending electronic marketing messages to users who had registered for self-exclusion, similarly violating the NSER system's provisions regarding respecting users' decisions to isolate.
ACMA board member Carolyn Lidgerwood stated, "Gambling operators must be clear about their responsibilities under the law, and we will strictly monitor whether they are effectively fulfilling these obligations. The core purpose of the self-exclusion mechanism is to protect individuals trying to stay away from gambling, and they should not be disturbed by any form of marketing."
She added, "Gambling companies must establish systems that truly respect users' decisions to self-determine, or they will face more severe penalties."
