Sportsbet Fined AU$2.5 Million for Sending Spam Messages

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has fined Sportsbet AU$3.7m for sending over 150,000 unsolicited emails and text messages to its clients.

Between January 2020 and March 2021, around 37,000 customers received spam messages from Sportsbet. Sportsbet was penalized AU$2.5 million for violating spam regulations, the largest fine of its type to date. The remaining AU$1.2 million is the total amount of refunds paid by the company to customers who made wagers after receiving these unwelcome messages.

Sportsbet halted all types of digital marketing for several months and has since improved its system to ensure that the problem does not reoccur. Sportsbet acknowledged ACMA's findings in a statement, and the company apologized to customers who had been affected.