The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said it issued the fine after an investigation found BetDeluxe had sent over 104,000 SMS text messages without an unsubscribe function and more than 820,000 messages that did not contain the sender’s contact details.
“Any spam can be annoying, but when gambling is involved the risk of financial and emotional harm can be pronounced, so it’s important that wagering operators take compliance very seriously.”
The ACMA has also accepted a two-year court-enforceable undertaking from BetDeluxe committing the business to an independent review of its e-marketing practices, and to make improvements where required, the authority added. BetDeluxe must give regular compliance reports to the ACMA and provide spam training to its staff.
This is the second ACMA spam enforcement outcome regarding an online wagering provider in the past 12 months after market leader Sportsbet was made to pay AU$3.7 million in penalties and refunds in February 2022.
