ACMA found that Dabble failed to close 157 betting accounts after customers registered with BetStop, Australia’s national self-exclusion register, and sent 839 electronic messages, including SMS, emails, and app push notifications, to 165 people who had already self-excluded. The regulator also found that 45 customers received more than 2,000 push notifications that failed to include required information about BetStop. The penalties came through two separate notices: nine totalling AU$178,200 for not closing accounts, and 45 totalling AU$891,000 for the unlawful messages.
ACMA said Dabble did have systems in place to check customers against BetStop, but its process mostly relied on customer activity to trigger a fresh check, meaning inactive accounts often went unnoticed. In some cases, customers weren’t identified as BetStop registrants until more than 200 days after signing up. ACMA had already flagged the same issue with Dabble back in August 2024, along with weaknesses in its marketing suppression process that allowed manual overrides and human error.
ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood commented:
“People who register with BetStop have made a clear decision to exclude themselves from online wagering. Providers must respect that decision by closing their accounts promptly and ensuring they are not targeted with gambling promotions. These were serious breaches by Dabble. Wagering providers must have robust systems in place to protect people who have chosen to self-exclude.”
As part of the enforceable action, Dabble has agreed to an independent review of its BetStop compliance systems, with recommendations to be delivered to its board and ACMA.
