After conducting an investigation, ACMA identified that Palmer Bookmaking, the company behind Palmerbet, kept a self-excluded customer’s betting account open for almost a year and a half. The customer had registered with BetStop, Australia’s national self-exclusion register, back in September 2023, but was still able to place 312 bets between December 2024 and February 2025, before the account was finally closed. Palmerbet has since repaid all deposits the customer made after registering with BetStop.
As a result, Palmerbet must now complete an 18-month, court-enforceable undertaking, with an additional detailed compliance review into the company’s compliance systems and processes. If the operator breaches the undertaking, ACMA has the authority to take the case to the Federal Court.
The case adds to a growing list of Australian operators penalized over similar failures this year. For instance, ACMA fined Dabble Sports $700,000 for self-exclusion breaches as the operator had failed to close 157 accounts tied to BetStop registrants and sent 839 unwanted messages to self-excluded customers. Separately, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission fined a keno operator AU$75,000 for failing to track a self-excluded player who was also trying to bypass identity verification checks.
