Australian Regulator Finds 500 BetStop Breaches by Betting Company but Issues No Fine

Australia’s gambling regulator has determined that the multinational betting company behind Ladbrokes and Neds opened accounts and accepted bets from individuals registered on the national self-exclusion list known as BetStop on more than 500 occasions over three years.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority announced the findings on Wednesday but said it was unable to impose fines because the investigation took longer than the 12 months permitted by law for infringement notices. The regulator instead secured a court-enforceable undertaking from the company to fund an independent review of its systems and implement recommended changes.

BetStop was launched in 2023 to allow people experiencing or at risk of gambling harm to exclude themselves from all licensed betting platforms in Australia. Once registered, operators are required to close existing accounts and prevent the opening of new ones.

The regulator found that the company’s systems did not adequately identify and link all wagering accounts held by self-excluded customers across its different brands. In one instance an account remained open for more than a year after the customer had self-excluded.

The company also allowed some self-excluded individuals to open new accounts and failed to adequately promote the BetStop register in customer texts and emails as required.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority can issue infringement notices of up to $59,400 per breach but must generally do so within 12 months of the alleged contravention. For more serious matters it can seek civil penalties of up to $12.375 million per day through the courts, a process not subject to the same time limit.