The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has formally warned former AFL players Mitch Robinson and Rhys Mathieson for promoting Vegastars, an online gambling service that holds no Australian licence. According to the trade publication Gambling Industry News, the warnings were issued on Thursday under Section 64A of the Interactive Gambling Act. The publication described the action as the first time the regulator has targeted well-known athletes rather than the offshore operators themselves.
What ACMA says the pair did
ACMA said both men published Instagram videos showing the Vegastars name, logo, website address and gameplay footage. Robinson also promoted the service on his Rip Through It podcast on YouTube. The regulator said the content ran between March and April 2026.
ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood said the regulator contacted both men in May. They then accepted responsibility, ended their involvement with Vegastars and removed all promotional material. "We have now issued each with a formal warning to ensure their future compliance with the law," she said in the ACMA statement.
According to the source, that cooperation explains why no fine followed. ACMA stressed that individuals promoting illegal gambling services face civil penalties of up to AU$65,520 per contravention. Those who enable access through links face penalties of up to AU$2.73 million.
The money and the excuses
ACMA's final investigation reports put Robinson's payments from Vegastars at about AU$120,000 under two commercial agreements signed in March 2026. Mathieson's earnings from three Instagram videos were put at around AU$19,200.
Mathieson expressed remorse and told the regulator he did not know Vegastars was prohibited. ACMA said ignorance of the law does not exempt anyone under the Act. The source material does not say whether either man contests ACMA's findings beyond these accounts, and it does not include a response from Robinson.
"All influencers are now firmly on notice. Anyone who uses their online profile to promote illegal gambling services will face regulatory action which can include significant financial penalties." — ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood
Lidgerwood said the regulator has increased its monitoring of illegal gambling promotion online. She said the warnings continue recent enforcement against individual social media influencers.
Operator blocks and the promotional layer
Vegastars' operator is named as Neptune Projects SRL. ACMA has had it under enforcement since January 2026, when the regulator issued a formal warning and asked Australian internet service providers to block the operator's main and alternate websites. ACMA said the service still reaches Australian users through multiple mirror sites, and it has sought further blocks. The trade publication notes that pursuing the people who advertise the service extends enforcement to the promotional layer, where website blocking does not reach.
Related developments
On the same day, ACMA ordered licensed bookmaker Picklebet, operated by Puntaa Pty Ltd, to pay an AU$19,800 penalty. The penalty related to accepting a bet in February 2026 from a person registered on the BetStop national self-exclusion register. This is a separate matter from the Vegastars warnings.
The warnings also follow ACMA's recently published guidance on new wagering advertising laws. From 1 January 2027, those laws will bar licensed wagering providers from using current or former athletes, influencers and other notable persons in their advertising. The trade publication says the 2027 ban will extend that kind of restriction to the licensed market itself.
The source material does not disclose where Neptune Projects SRL is based, how many Australians used Vegastars, or whether further action against the operator is planned beyond the additional blocks ACMA says it has sought.