Australia's media and communications regulator has alleged that Entain's two main local sportsbooks, Ladbrokes and Neds, breached self-exclusion rules more than 500 times. The allegations follow what the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) described as a complex, multi-year investigation. Entain's response is not included in the source material reviewed by Pokiestralia.
What the regulator alleges
According to the ACMA, Ladbrokes and Neds failed to protect consumers who had tried to exclude themselves from Australia's legal wagering market. The regulator alleges that the Entain brands allowed people registered with BetStop, the national self-exclusion register, to open wagering accounts.
When a person registers with BetStop, wagering providers must close all of that person's accounts. ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood said Entain's systems "did not adequately identify and link all wagering accounts held by those customers across its services". She said this included one account that stayed open for more than a year after the customer had self-excluded.
The source material does not say how many customers were affected, or how the more than 500 breaches were distributed between Ladbrokes and Neds.
Why no fines were issued
The ACMA can impose financial penalties of up to A$59,400 (US$43,020) per breach of BetStop conditions. On that basis, more than 500 breaches could have meant civil penalties of more than A$29.7 million, according to the source.
However, the ACMA says the time limit had passed by the time it reached its findings. Under the rules, it must issue such penalties within 12 months of the alleged breach, and the investigation took longer than a year. The regulator said it did not issue an infringement notice because "that enforcement option was not available in these circumstances".
Instead, the ACMA accepted a court-enforceable undertaking from Entain. The source material does not set out the specific terms of that undertaking. The ACMA said that if Entain fails to comply, it can seek court-ordered financial penalties.
"Although this complex investigation took longer than we would have liked and financial penalties were not available to the ACMA, the court-enforceable undertaking is a serious regulatory outcome." – ACMA
Background: BetStop and Entain
BetStop went live in August 2023. It is a free government service that lets Australians block themselves from licensed wagering, with registration available online or by phone. Self-exclusion periods range from a minimum of three months to a lifetime ban. According to BetStop, nearly 60,000 Australians have registered to date.
BetStop applies to licensed wagering. Online casino services remain prohibited in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, and offshore sites operating outside the licensed system are not covered by the register.
Entain is described in the source as one of the world's largest gaming companies, with a market capitalisation of $4.6 billion (the currency is not specified). Besides Ladbrokes and Neds, it owns Coral, Eurobet, SuperSport and Sportingbet, and holds a 50 per cent stake in BetMGM's North American operations.
The allegations remain the ACMA's findings and claims, and the source does not report whether Entain admits or disputes them. Anyone who needs support with gambling can contact Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858.