The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued six formal warnings to offshore gambling operators found to be providing prohibited or unlicensed interactive gambling services to customers physically present in Australia.
The warnings follow investigations into services that were accessible to Australian users without appropriate state or territory licenses.
The entities subject to enforcement action are Santeda International, Dama, Neptune Projects, Chefotis Interactive, Happy Interactive and Promotech. The associated brands include Rolletto, Cosmobet, Velobet, Fortune Play, Vegastars, TerraCasino, Wombet and Fortunica.
According to the regulator’s findings, the services offered casino-style games of chance and, in several cases, in-play betting products. Investigations determined that Australian customers were able to register, deposit funds and access gambling services despite the operators not holding Australian licenses.
Four of the six operators were found to have contravened both subsection 15(2A), which prohibits the provision of interactive gambling services with an Australian customer link, and subsection 15AA(3), which prohibits the provision of regulated interactive gambling services without a valid state or territory license. In the cases of Neptune Projects and Happy Interactive, the findings were limited to subsection 15(2A).
Formal warnings represent an enforcement step under the IGA. Continued non-compliance may expose operators to significant civil penalties and potential ISP-level website blocking.
The latest actions form part of ACMA’s broader offshore enforcement strategy, which has intensified in recent years as the regulator continues to target unlicensed gambling services accessible to Australian consumers.
ACMA has authority not only to issue formal warnings but also to seek Federal Court civil penalties and request ISP-level blocking of non-compliant websites
