Australian wagering giant Tabcorp has been ordered to pay more than AU$2.7 million (US$1.8 million) after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found the company repeatedly breached the country’s telemarketing and spam regulations.
The enforcement action follows an ACMA investigation covering activity between February 2024 and June 2025, during which Tabcorp contacted VIP customers in ways that failed to comply with Australian communications laws.
According to the regulator, Tabcorp made 351 marketing calls to numbers listed on Australia’s Do Not Call Register without the required consent. Investigators also identified 82 calls placed outside legally permitted calling hours and almost 4,000 calls that failed to properly identify the caller or explain the purpose of the contact.
ACMA also examined a separate incident that the operator voluntarily disclosed in 2025. During a 16-day period, Tabcorp sent more than 217,000 promotional emails and SMS messages to customers who had already unsubscribed from specific marketing channels, triggering additional enforcement under Australia’s Spam Act 2003.
ACMA member Samantha Yorke said consumers who register on the Do Not Call Register or unsubscribe from marketing communications have made a clear decision that businesses are required to respect. She added that compliance is especially important for gambling-related advertising because of the potential financial and psychological harm associated with gambling products.
Alongside the financial penalties, Tabcorp has entered into a court-enforceable undertaking requiring an independent review of its telemarketing systems, implementation of compliance improvements and regular reporting to the regulator. The new undertaking will operate alongside an existing compliance agreement already in place following previous enforcement action.
The latest sanction comes after ACMA fined Tabcorp more than AU$4 million in 2025 for sending non-compliant SMS and WhatsApp marketing messages to VIP customers, highlighting the regulator’s ongoing scrutiny of the company’s marketing practices. Earlier this year, the operator was also penalized for breaches of Australia’s self-exclusion rules.
ACMA noted that it considered Tabcorp’s voluntary disclosure and cooperation when determining the latest penalty. The regulator also acknowledged that the unsolicited messages were sent over a limited period and involved customers who had opted out of certain marketing channels rather than all promotional communications.
The authority said businesses have paid more than AU$12 million in penalties for spam and telemarketing violations over the past 18 months, reinforcing its focus on ensuring organisations comply with consent, identification and unsubscribe requirements under Australian law.