On Wednesday, Palmer Bookmaking Pty Ltd, operating as Palmerbet, entered into an 18-month court-enforceable agreement with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). This follows an investigation that uncovered numerous violations concerning the bookmaker's adherence to Australia's national self-exclusion regulations.
The ACMA's inquiry centered around a customer who had registered with BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register (NSER), on September 2, 2023. Once a consumer registers, operators are legally obligated to close any existing accounts "as soon as practicable." However, Palmerbet continued to accept bets from this registered customer on 18 occasions between December 2024 and February 2025, despite not closing the account until February 22, 2025—almost 18 months after the registration on the NSER.
The ACMA identified several infractions by Palmerbet, including 18 violations of section 61KA(3) of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA) for providing licensed interactive wagering services to a self-excluded individual, corresponding to each day this occurred. Additionally, the authority recorded 535 violations of section 61MB(5) for failing to close the customer's account promptly after the NSER registration, counting one infraction for every day beyond the required closure date.
The NSER operates by matching personal details provided by wagering operators against its database. Operators are required to submit accurate identification information, including full legal names, date of birth (DOB), and postcode. However, Palmerbet consistently submitted incorrect details for the customer, including an abbreviated first name and a wrong DOB, which resulted in negative matches from the register, allowing continued wagering.
Documents showed that Palmerbet flagged this customer to the NSER database on September 6, 2023, with erroneous information. The customer's account was closed only after the register confirmed a positive match on February 22, 2025.
The ACMA concluded that Palmerbet did not undertake "reasonable precautions and exercise due diligence" in confirming the customer’s identity details. Before the NSER was launched, both the ACMA and the register operator provided guidelines stressing the necessity for precise identification data from Australian government documents. Although Palmerbet updated its onboarding procedures in mid-2023 to improve data verification, it neglected to apply consistent checks to older accounts, including the one in question. The regulator indicated that accurate data submitted in September 2023 would likely have led to account closure within 24 hours.
Instead of pursuing immediate court actions or civil penalties, the ACMA accepted Palmerbet’s commitment through the 18-month court-enforceable undertaking, which includes an independent review of the company’s NSER compliance. Furthermore, Palmerbet is required to refund all deposits made by the self-excluded individual from September 2023 to February 2025.
Earlier this month, another wagering operator, Dabble Sports, faced penalties for multiple compliance failures related to BetStop. ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood emphasized the need for operators to respect self-exclusion requests, claiming that providers must have strong systems in place.
In addition, the ACMA requested internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to several illegal gambling websites, including Bet Ninja, Riobet188, ThePokies33, Spade69, and WinShark. This request is part of a broader enforcement strategy; since November 2019, the ACMA has asked ISPs to block a total of 1,822 illegal gambling and affiliate sites, with twelve sites targeted in June of this year. The regulator also pointed out that over 230 operators have exited the Australian market since the introduction of stricter measures beginning in 2017.
