The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has concluded six more investigations into licensed wagering providers for breaches of self-exclusion rules.

The ACMA investigations found Tabcorp, LightningBet, Betfocus, TempleBet, Picklebet and BetChamps all failed to comply with rules that protect people who registered with BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register.

The facts of each investigation are different but the breaches across the investigations included allowing registered individuals to open wagering accounts and to access wagering services, or marketing to registered individuals.

ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood said these breaches undermine the protections from gambling harm that self-exclusion offers.

“The national self-exclusion register is designed to help people who are trying to avoid gambling services and stop gambling, but self-exclusion only works if wagering providers follow the rules,” Ms Lidgerwood said.

“These rules have been in place for more than two years and wagering providers should be taking their responsibilities seriously.

“When people decide to self-exclude from online and telephone gambling, they trust the system to protect them from gambling harm. These investigations have found that these companies broke that trust and let people down.

“All licensed wagering providers need to be aware that the ACMA is investigating compliance and enforcing the rules. Gambling companies must have effective systems in place to ensure self-excluded people cannot gamble with them.”

The investigations identified that the providers did not ensure that their underlying systems and processes were operating as intended and failed to adequately identify and protect people who had self-excluded.

In response to these findings, the ACMA has used a range of different enforcement tools available under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, having regard to the different facts arising under each investigation.

The ACMA has issued remedial directions to each of Betfocus, LightningBet and TempleBet. Under these remedial directions each of the providers will be required by law to commission an independent audit of their systems and implement any resulting recommendations.

This type of enforcement action is corrective and directed at future compliance with the rules. Failure to comply with a remedial direction is an offence and can result in civil penalties.

Tabcorp Holdings paid a penalty of $112,680 and agreed to enter into a court-enforceable undertaking requiring the company to commission a third-party review of its customer verification processes and train staff on their obligations around the Register. If not complied with, such an undertaking can be enforced in the Federal Court, with the Court being able to make such orders as it considers appropriate.

BetChamps was given a formal warning and the ACMA is currently finalising enforcement action for Picklebet.

All contraventions were found to have occurred in 2024. If these companies fail to comply with self-exclusion rules in the future, the ACMA may take stronger enforcement action, potentially including commencement of Federal Court proceedings to seek civil penalties.

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Regulating the Game has published the draft program for its 2026 Sydney conference, outlining a comprehensive agenda of keynotes, featured addresses, panels, and expert masterclasses examining the most consequential regulatory, policy and operational issues facing the global gambling sector.

Regulating the Game 2026 will be held 9–11 March 2026 at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth and represents the sixth edition of the conference as a forum for rigorous, cross-jurisdictional engagement on gambling regulation and sector performance and uplift.

The draft program confirms that each conference day is anchored by keynote and featured speakers, whose addresses are designed to frame and contextualise the broader program of talks, panels and masterclasses that follow. These speakers bring senior executive leadership, policy and advisory insight, and deep subject-matter expertise, helping to frame the regulatory and operating environment, its trajectory, and the lenses through which the agenda is explored.

Across the three days, the program integrates:

• Context-setting sessions that frame the regulatory and operating environment and its direction, including examinations of where gambling regulation and policy are heading, how enforcement and sanctioning approaches are evolving post-inquiry, and how governments and markets are responding to persistent black-market and grey-market pressures. These sessions establish the policy, strategic and operating lenses through which the broader agenda is explored.
• Moderated panels that interrogate regulatory assumptions and reform outcomes in practice, including discussions on harm minimisation in increasingly data-driven environments, the limits and consequences of intensified regulation, and the interaction between market design, consumer behaviour and regulatory intent.
• Expert masterclasses, including a session led by Jay Robinson focused on embedding the Responsible Gambling Officer role with purpose, authority and practical impact, and a second masterclass convened by the International Masters of Gaming Law, with final scope and focus to be confirmed. Together, these sessions are designed to support practical capability uplift and address the implementation risks that sit between policy intent and operational reality.
• Industry Spotlight sessions, introduced in 2026, comprising tightly curated 15-minute presentations from incumbent organisations. These sessions provide a platform to articulate strategic direction, investment priorities and innovation pathways, and to examine what lies ahead for the sector as regulatory expectations, technology and market structures continue to evolve.

Collectively, the agenda addresses:

• The trajectory of gambling regulation, enforcement and sanctioning frameworks
• AML/CTF reform, financial crime risk and supervisory expectations
• Safer gambling governance, harm minimisation and behavioural insight
• Black market and grey market dynamics in increasingly regulated environments
• Technology, data governance and the use of AI in regulatory and compliance systems
• Leadership, accountability and the operational reality of reform delivery

While the program is deliberately broad, particular attention has been given to curating sessions and contributors that surface topical and often unresolved issues facing the sector. The agenda is designed to frame the current environment and its direction, provoke informed debate, stimulate curiosity, and act as a catalyst for new ways of thinking, innovation bets and next practice across regulation, policy and operations.

Paul Newson, Principal at Vanguard Overwatch and Founder of Regulating the Game, said the 2026 draft program reflects a deliberate architecture:

“The program is designed to open up the problem space, not to close it down. Early sessions are intended to frame the environment honestly and rigorously, so that the discussions that follow can interrogate options, trade-offs and solutions with clarity and discipline.”

He added:

“Regulating the Game is deliberately structured to move from context to analysis to application. The draft program makes that progression clear and intentional.”

The program is supported by flagship events including Pitch!, the RTG Global Awards Gala Dinner, and an expanded Exhibition Showcase, which together complement the formal agenda and support cross-sector engagement.

The draft program reflects the core structure of the conference, with final speaker confirmations and minor refinements to be completed in the coming week.

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