Australia’s Federal Court has ordered AU$24.24 million (US$16.8 million) in penalties against the providers and promoters of three prohibited online poker services, the Australian Communications and Media Authority announced on July 6, marking one of the largest enforcement outcomes under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
The court found that Brisbane Poker Pty Ltd, operator Rhys Edward Jones, and promoter Brenton Lee Buttigieg allowed members of the public to play online poker against each other using virtual chips that could be purchased and sold for real money – a configuration the court treated as an unlicensed interactive gambling service. The services operated under the names PPPfish, Shuffle Gaming, and Redraw Poker.
Penalty Breakdown and Sentencing Detail
Brisbane Poker Pty Ltd was ordered to pay AU$15 million (US$10.4 million) and Jones AU$9 million (US$6.25 million). The two received AU$7.2 million (US$5 million) in combined benefits from the services. Buttigieg, who promoted the platforms through a private Facebook group, was ordered to pay AU$240,000 (US$166,700) – double the AU$120,000 figure jointly proposed by ACMA and the defendant.
Justice Rangiah rejected the agreed penalty for Buttigieg on general deterrence grounds, noting that his AU$44,400 (US$30,800) profit, while modest relative to Jones and Brisbane Poker’s returns, did not justify the lower figure given the need to deter comparable promotional activity. Jones and Buttigieg were also restrained from providing or aiding prohibited interactive gambling services for five years.
Broader Enforcement Picture
The July ruling follows a AU$5 million (US$3.47 million) penalty imposed on Diverse Link Pty Ltd in March 2023 in related proceedings. Combined, total penalties across the full enforcement action now stand at AU$29.24 million (US$20.3 million). ACMA opened the proceedings in April 2022 following an investigation into the services.
The IGA prohibits online poker services from being offered to persons physically present in Australia, regardless of where the operator is based. Under current law, providing an illegal interactive gambling service exposes corporations to maximum penalties of AU$1.8 million per day and individuals to AU$360,000 per day. ACMA has pursued an escalating enforcement program since its powers were expanded through 2016–2017 IGA amendments, a pattern that has also driven court-ordered ISP blocking actions against unlicensed gambling services in comparable jurisdictions.
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said: “This decision sends a clear warning that offering online poker to Australians is illegal and there are serious consequences for those who breach the law.”
The scale of the penalties – and Justice Rangiah’s willingness to exceed an agreed penalty in the Buttigieg sentencing – reinforces that Australian courts are prepared to treat deterrence as an active factor in calculating outcomes, not merely a rhetorical addendum. Regulators in other markets pursuing similar enforcement tracks, as seen in recent UKGC actions against online operators, have signalled equivalent intent. No legislative pathway to licensed online poker in Australia is currently active, and ACMA has given no indication it will ease civil proceedings against services that attempt to re-enter the market.
Source: Asia Gaming Brief
Petra Vanhoof has spent the better part of a decade following the shifting tides of gambling regulation across Europe and beyond. She came up through the compliance side of the industry before pivoting to writing, which gives her a grounded, no-nonsense perspective on the rules, loopholes, and political maneuvering that shape how operators actually do business. She is particularly drawn to the gap between what regulators say and what the market ends up doing in response.