Dabble has paid $1.069 million in penalties after the Australian wagering platform failed to close 157 accounts belonging to people who had registered with the national BetStop self-exclusion scheme.
An investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found that Dabble sent 165 self-excluded customers a total of 839 electronic messages, including text messages, emails and app notifications.
BetStop allows people concerned about gambling addiction to close all their online wagering accounts. Once registered, they must not be targeted with gambling promotions or allowed to open new accounts with Australian-licensed operators.
The ACMA also found that Dabble sent more than 2,000 push notifications to 45 customers without including information about BetStop, as required under the self-exclusion rules.
Carolyn Lidgerwood, an ACMA member, said the breaches had the potential to cause real harm.
“People who register with BetStop have made a clear decision to exclude themselves from online wagering,” she said. “Providers must respect that decision by closing their accounts promptly and ensuring they are not targeted with gambling promotions.”
“BetStop is an important consumer protection measure, but it only works if wagering companies follow the rules,” Lidgerwood said.
The penalties form part of a two-year court-enforceable undertaking. Dabble must arrange an independent review of its compliance systems and fund the improvements recommended by the review.
The ACMA said it could take Dabble to court if the company breached the undertaking.
Dabble, which allows users to copy bets from friends, former sports stars and other personalities, was founded in 2020 by former PointsBet and CrownBet executive Tom Rundle. Tabcorp paid $33 million for a 20 per cent stake in the company in 2022.
The platform sponsors the National Basketball League and Supercars Championship and reported a profit of $14.4 million last year.
Dabble’s publicly available contact channel directed media inquiries to its public relations team through an automated chatbot, but the chatbot said there was no publicly listed communications or public relations email address. It provided only a physical mailing address for the company’s Darwin headquarters.
The ACMA has previously faced criticism over the time taken to investigate breaches, with the regulator sometimes missing the 12-month period in which it could issue a penalty. Changes due to take effect next year will extend that period to 24 months and increase the maximum penalties for individual breaches.
