The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has taken action against four operators for self-exclusion failures.

Separate investigations by the body found that Buddybet, Ultrabet, VicBet and Topbet all failed in their duties towards players registered with BetStop – Australia’s National Self-Exclusion Register (NSER).

According to the ACMA, Buddybet failed to close the wagering accounts for people on the NSER. Meanwhile, Ultrabet reopened the account of someone at the end of their self-exclusion period and allowed them to bet. 

Both were also found to have sent marketing material to people on the register.

Under NSER rules, accounts must be closed as soon as practicable once a person registers with the NSER, and operators must cease sending any electronic marketing, such as emails or texts. In addition, the accounts of individuals registered to the service must not be reopened or reinstated unless that person makes a clear and deliberate choice to do so. 

Since the investigation, Buddybet has exited the Australian market, while the ACMA has accepted a court-enforceable undertaking from Ultrabet, which commits the company to reviewing its compliance systems and implementing improvements. Failure to comply with the actions could result in court-ordered financial penalties.

The ACMA has also issued formal warnings to VicBet and Topbet after investigations found that each company had sent marketing material to a self-excluded person.

On the breaches, Authority Member Carolyn Lidgerwood, commented: “People on the NSER have made a conscious effort to exclude themselves from online gambling services. Sending gambling marketing messages to people who are trying to stop gambling is unacceptable. Betting services must have systems in place that respect the decisions of people to self-exclude, or face further consequences.” 

The most recent rulings continue the ACMA’s action against operators in the Australian market. In may the organisation handed significant fines to PointsBet Australia and Unibet for compliance failures.

PointsBet was hit with an AU$500,000 (£240,450) penalty after the ACMA discovered that the company sent more than 800 messages that breached Australia’s e-marketing laws and also delayed closing the accounts of customers who had registered with the NSER.

Meanwhile, Unibet was ordered to pay AU$1m after the firm failed to close hundreds of accounts registered with the NSER. 

The ACMA noted that no bets were made from these Unibet accounts, however, it said that the time taken to close the accounts was “clearly unacceptable”.

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