Unibet Fined Heavily for over 100,000 Breaches in Australia
Unibet has been ordered to pay a AU$1 million fine in Australia for breaching the country’s national self-exclusion register rules.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:An inquiry by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found Unibet guilty of committing over 100,000 contraventions of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
The gambling operator reportedly failed to close accounts for 954 customers who had signed up for BetStop, the country’s National Self-Exclusion Register (NESR). The ACMA was particularly concerned that 45 customer accounts remained active for 190 days or more after self-exclusion registration.
However, the regulator observed that customers were prevented from betting during the self-exclusion period, but many resumed betting once the exclusion ended. One customer, in particular, went on to place over 1,200 bets.
The regulator emphasized that had Unibet closed accounts during the NESR registration period, as mandated by the Interactive Gaming Act, these vulnerable customers would not have been able to use their existing accounts for betting.
However, customers could still circumvent the self-exclusion by opening a new account, exposing a loophole in the regulatory framework.
We recognize that no bets were made from these Unibet accounts or marketing sent while customers were self-excluded. However, this outcome puts the industry on notice that they must comply with the rules or face potential financial penalties and other actions available to the ACMA under the IGA.
More Regulation News
ACMA Acts Against Non-Compliant Operators
Unibet is the second major operator to receive a penalty from the ACMA in recent days. Last week, PointsBet was fined $500,000 for breaching spam and gambling self-exclusion laws.
Alongside monitoring the activities of licensed operators, the ACMA is also cracking down on offshore gambling platforms targeting Australian customers without proper licenses.
Last December, the regulator issued blocking orders against six websites, including Eddy Vegas, Lucky Friends, and Lucky One.
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