Australian sportsbook Dabble has paid AU$1.07 million in penalties after regulators found repeated failures involving customers registered with the country’s BetStop self-exclusion system.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said its investigation found that Dabble failed to close 157 wagering accounts after the account holders had registered with BetStop, Australia’s National Self-Exclusion Register.
Licensed wagering operators are required to close accounts belonging to registered individuals as soon as practicable and stop sending them electronic gambling marketing.
ACMA also found that Dabble sent 839 electronic messages to 165 people who had self-excluded. The communications included SMS messages, emails and app push notifications.
A separate compliance failure involved 45 customers who received more than 2,000 push notifications that did not contain the required information about BetStop.
Dabble has paid AU$1,069,200 as a result of the breaches and entered into a two-year court-enforceable undertaking with ACMA. Under the agreement, the operator must arrange an independent review of its compliance systems and invest in implementing the improvements recommended through that process.
ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood said operators must respect the decision of people who choose to self-exclude, including by closing their wagering accounts promptly and ensuring they are no longer targeted with gambling promotions. The regulator described Dabble’s breaches as serious and warned that enforcement action would continue where operators fail to comply with BetStop requirements.
The enforcement action comes ahead of further changes to Australia’s self-exclusion framework.
The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026 introduces stronger BetStop provisions, including a requirement for licensed wagering providers to close the account of a registered individual as soon as practicable and within seven days. Where an account still holds a credit balance, including money arising from unresolved bets, the operator must pay that balance to the customer.
The legislation also substantially increases penalties attached to several BetStop-related breaches. The strengthened measures are due to take effect from 1 January 2027.