The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has strengthened its enforcement of online gambling safeguards, reporting high compliance across the industry following the introduction of the credit card and cryptocurrency ban for online wagering. In its 2024–25 compliance report, the regulator outlined actions to enforce the National Self-Exclusion Register (NSER) rules, monitor adherence to new payment restrictions, and expand measures to combat illegal offshore gambling operations.
Earlier, the ACMA issued formal warnings to four companies accused of offering illegal online gambling services to local consumers.
Focus on self-exclusion and compliance
The ACMA shifted its focus during the year from education to active enforcement of NSER compliance. The NSER allows Australians to self-exclude from all licensed online wagering platforms in the country. By 30 June 2025, nearly 45,000 people had registered for exclusion.
Between 2024 and 2025, the ACMA initiated ten new investigations and closed ten others, finalising enforcement actions across six cases. Operators faced a range of regulatory responses, including financial penalties, enforceable undertakings, and formal warnings.
Betchoice paid an AU$1 million penalty and agreed to a two-year enforceable undertaking requiring an independent review of its systems and staff training. Ultrabet and PointsBet accepted 18-month undertakings with similar compliance reviews and remedial measures. ReadyBet received a remedial direction, while Topbet and Vicbet were formally warned for breaches of responsible gambling rules.
High compliance with payment restrictions
The new payment restrictions banning the use of credit cards, credit-related products, and digital currencies for online wagering took effect on 11 June 2024. According to the ACMA, industry compliance has been very strong, with no investigations required since the ban began.
Supported by a consumer awareness campaign, the deployment resulted in a notable rise in traffic to the pertinent content on the ACMA website. In March 2025, a desktop assessment also found that 50 licensed operators’ terms and conditions still included references to illegal payment methods. After interacting with the ACMA, all operators have to take down these references by 30 June 2025.
Expanding tools to tackle illegal offshore gambling
The ACMA continued its multi-layered strategy to disrupt illegal offshore gambling services. Since the expansion of enforcement more than eight years ago, around 220 illegal operators have exited the Australian market.
In 2024–25, the regulator introduced several new disruption tools. It co-chaired the Fintel Alliance Micro-Laundering and Illegal Gambling project with AUSTRAC, aimed at working with banks and law enforcement agencies to detect and block payments to unlawful operators. This initiative also responds to a rise in offshore services promoting Australian payment systems such as PayID.
The ACMA also improved its procedures for reporting illegal gambling content to third parties, including hosting providers, domain registrars, and social media platforms. Most companies acted upon these reports, with Google removing certain blocked gambling content from Australian search results.
Industry engagement and technical measures
Further efforts targeted software providers whose games appeared on illegal gambling sites. Out of 63 contacted companies, 27 immediately committed to compliance, while seven removed or geo-blocked their games from Australian access.
The ACMA also enhanced its website blocking operations by focusing on high-risk and repeat-offending gambling websites. The authority reported increased efficiency in blocking attempts, ensuring faster action against sites seeking to bypass restrictions.
Stalled progress in fact-checking online content
ACMA’s earlier report warned that fact-checking efforts are stalling under Australia’s misinformation code. The revelation comes as part of ACMA’s fourth report on the Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation, highlighting both progress and challenges in tackling harmful online content.
The report also noted that digital platforms continue to refine their policies and systems in response to advances in artificial intelligence. A notable development is the adoption of industry-wide standards for content labelling and provenance, which are intended to help users identify the source and authenticity of digital content. ACMA noted that these updates reflect a growing awareness of the risks posed by generative AI technologies, which can rapidly produce and spread manipulated or misleading material.
Introduced in 2021, the voluntary framework is designed to reduce the spread of misleading and false information affecting Australians. Signatories include major technology companies in Australia, which are required to report annually on their actions to curb disinformation and improve transparency.
The report also raised concerns about the state of independent fact-checking. The regulator observed that industry support for fact-checking initiatives “appears to be stalling” in Australia, potentially undermining efforts to counter harmful misinformation.
This issue is compounded by a decline in the number of pieces of content being actioned. While more platforms have reported Australian-specific data, the volume of removals and other interventions has fallen compared with earlier reporting periods.
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