Dabble Sports has paid $1.1m in penalties after an Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation identified multiple breaches of Australia's national online wagering self-exclusion requirements.
The regulator found the operator failed to close 157 wagering accounts after the customers registered with BetStop, Australia's National Self-Exclusion Register. Dabble also sent 839 emails, SMS messages and app push notifications to 165 people who had self-excluded.
A further 45 customers received more than 2,000 push notifications that did not include required information about BetStop. Licensed wagering providers must close accounts belonging to registered individuals as soon as practicable and stop sending them electronic marketing.
The enforcement action comes as use of BetStop continues to increase. Since its August 2023 launch, 65,430 people had registered with the service by 30 June 2026, with 40,160 exclusions still active.
More than 30,000 registrants were aged 30 or younger, while 25,155 had selected lifetime exclusions.
Dabble has also entered a two-year court-enforceable undertaking requiring an independent review of its compliance systems and implementation of recommended improvements. The ACMA can seek court enforcement if the operator breaches the undertaking.
The case forms part of broader enforcement around BetStop. In January, the ACMA concluded investigations into six wagering providers, including Tabcorp, Picklebet and BetChamps, over breaches that included allowing registered individuals to access wagering services or receive marketing.
Entain subsequently entered a court-enforceable undertaking in May after the regulator identified more than 500 breaches involving its Ladbrokes AU and Neds AU brands.
Australia is also preparing for tighter federal gambling rules from 1 January 2027. Reforms passed by Parliament in August strengthen BetStop alongside new advertising and direct marketing restrictions.
For failures to close self-excluded accounts, maximum civil penalties will increase from 180 to 750 penalty units.
ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood said: "Wagering providers must have robust systems in place to protect people who have chosen to self-exclude."
Earlier this year, Dabble expanded its US daily fantasy sports operations into Colorado, taking its DFS presence to 31 states following an Arizona launch. The expansion continued the operator's push into the US market alongside its Australian wagering operations.
BetStop covers approximately 150 licensed online and telephone wagering providers in Australia, with one registration excluding an individual across all participating services
