Unibet has been fined AU$1 million for over 100,000 breaches of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
An investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found more than 100,000 violations of the country’s gambling rules.
Unibet Failed To Close 954 Accounts Which Had Registered With BetStop
Unibet paid a AU$1,014,120 penalty in total for failing to close the accounts of 954 customers who had registered with BetStop – Australia’s National Self-Exclusion Register (NSER).
BetStop is a government-backed initiative to help Australians block themselves from all licensed online casinos and mobile betting apps.
Once registering, Australia online casinos will not let you place a bet, open new accounts or send you marketing messages.
45 of those customer accounts remained open for 190 days or more – and while bets weren’t able to be placed during the self-exclusion period – the accounts were able to resume full activity after it ended.
One player in particular placed over 1,200 wagers after their self-exclusion period ended. Under the Interactive Gambling Act it is required that accounts must be closed during the NSER registration period.
The ACMA’s Gambling Lead, Carolyn Lidgerwood, said the investigation “found very serious breaches by Unibet over a sustained period of time.”
“Taking in some cases 190 days to close accounts is clearly unacceptable and does not reflect the decisions made by Unibet customers to seek support to help them not gamble.
“The NSER rules are also there to ensure that people are making a clear and deliberate choice to recommence gambling. That is not the case if they can simply access old accounts.”
Alongside the monetary penalty, Unibet has entered into a two-year court-enforceable undertaking with the ACMA where it will undergo an independent review of its internal compliance systems.
The company has vowed to implement all recommended improvements and will also voluntarily refund the customers affected by these breaches of law.
Unibet Penalised For A Second Time Since Entering Australian Market In 2010
Unibet entered the Australian market in 2021 when it bought Betchoice, an online bookmaker based in the Northern Territory state.
It was charged AU$60,000 in May 2023 after breaching state gambling laws by including ‘inducements’ to gamble or open betting accounts via its promotional activity.
An investigation uncovered these promotions were in the form of ‘price push’ offers, essentially boosted or special odds – and under Australian law it is an offence to publish a gambling advert that encourages activity.
Betchoice pleaded guilty to two offences, paying AU$30,000 for each and were also ordered to cover the costs of the investigation.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable sports and gambling websites. Joe has also been published by Nottingham Forest, working with the academy and senior teams to produce content on matchdays. He formerly covered the Premier League and EFL as an on-site reporter during the 2020/21 season for Prost International. He is an expert in a range of sports including soccer, basketball, horse racing and American football. Joe specialises in long form content alongside news, tips and betting.
