ACMA Flags BetStop Breaches by Six Bookies as Enforcement Ramps Up

Australia’s communications and gambling regulator, ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority), has concluded six investigations into licensed wagering providers after finding breaches tied to BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register. In an update at the end of January 2026, the regulator said failures included allowing registered individuals to open accounts, access wagering services, or receive marketing.

What ACMA says went wrong

ACMA’s summary is blunt: self-exclusion only works if operators follow the rules, because people who sign up are relying on the system to block access and reduce harm. The regulator said these breaches broke that trust, and also, providers did not ensure their systems and processes were operating as intended and did not adequately protect self-excluded customers.

Who was named, and what penalties or actions were issued

ACMA said it used different enforcement tools based on the facts of each case, but the direction is clear: operators will be audited, corrected, and potentially taken to court if problems continue.

ACMA also notes that failing to comply with a remedial direction is an offence and can lead to civil penalties.

What the investigations found

ACMA’s investigations hub gives a sense of the kinds of small failures that turn into big compliance problems. These include opening accounts for registered individuals, providing services after self-exclusion, and sending regulated marketing messages.

For example, the investigation summaries list multiple contraventions for some providers (such as repeated instances of providing wagering services to registered individuals), which is exactly the kind of repeatable systems issue regulators tend to treat seriously.

What BetStop users should do if something slips through

If you’re registered with BetStop and you can still access wagering services or receive marketing from a licensed provider, treat it as a red flag. Take screenshots (account access, emails/SMS, timestamps), then lodge a complaint with ACMA and/or the operator. BetStop is designed to prevent account access and marketing for registered individuals across licensed online/phone wagering services, so it’s reasonable to expect hard blocks, not flimsy excuses from the casinos.

ACMA explicitly warned that it is investigating compliance and enforcing the rules, and said future breaches could lead to stronger action, including Federal Court proceedings seeking civil penalties. That message matters for every wagering brand: self-exclusion compliance isn’t a nice-to-have control. It’s a core player-protection duty under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 rules that have now been in place for more than two years.