Dabble has paid more than $1 million in penalties after failing to close the accounts of 157 customers who had registered for Australia’s national self-exclusion scheme, BetStop.
The social media-linked betting platform also sent 165 self-excluded people a combined 839 marketing messages by SMS, email and app notifications, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
BetStop was introduced in 2023 to allow people concerned about gambling addiction to close all their online wagering accounts. Once registered, customers cannot open new accounts with Australian-licensed betting platforms, and operators must stop sending them promotions.
The ACMA said Dabble also sent more than 2,000 push notifications to 45 customers without including information about BetStop, breaching the scheme’s requirements.
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.”
The $1.069 million payment forms part of a two-year court-enforceable undertaking. Dabble must commission an independent review of its compliance systems and fund improvements recommended by the review.
The regulator said it could take Dabble to court if the company breached the undertaking.
Dabble allows users to copy bets placed by friends, former sports stars and other personalities. Founded in 2020 by former PointsBet and CrownBet executive Tom Rundle, it is known for sponsoring the National Basketball League and Supercars Championship.
Tabcorp paid $33 million for a 20 per cent stake in Dabble in 2022. The company reported a profit of $14.4 million last year.
Dabble’s publicly available email address directed media enquiries to its public relations team through an automated chatbot, which said no communications or public relations contact was publicly listed. The chatbot provided only a physical mailing address for the company’s Darwin headquarters.
The ACMA has previously faced criticism over the length of its investigations, with delays causing it to miss the 12-month period available to issue penalties. Changes due to take effect next year will extend that period to 24 months and increase the maximum penalty for each breach.
