Palmer Bookmaking Pty Ltd, which trades as Palmerbet, has entered into an 18-month court-enforceable undertaking after the Australian Communications and Media Authority found breaches of national online gambling self-exclusion requirements.
The regulator’s investigation centered on a customer who joined BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register, in September 2023. Palmerbet did not close the customer’s wagering account until February 2025, leaving the account open for roughly 17 months after the registration took effect.
During part of that period, the customer continued using Palmerbet’s wagering services. The company accepted 312 bets from the individual between December 2024 and February 2025, even though the customer had already registered for national self-exclusion.
Under BetStop requirements, wagering providers must close the accounts of registered individuals as soon as practicable. Operators must also stop supplying online wagering services to anyone covered by the register.
Undertaking Requires Independent Compliance Review
The 18-month undertaking places Palmerbet under a formal set of compliance obligations. The company must arrange a comprehensive independent review of its systems and processes and make the investment needed to carry out recommended improvements.
According to the ACMA’s enforcement notice, Palmerbet also repaid all deposits the customer made after registering with BetStop through to the account’s closure in February 2025.
The undertaking gives the regulator a mechanism to seek court enforcement if Palmerbet does not meet its commitments. If the bookmaker breaches the agreement, the ACMA can apply to the Federal Court to enforce its terms.
The case adds another example of regulatory action linked to the operation of Australia’s national self-exclusion framework. The Palmerbet matter focused on the company’s failure to shut the account within the required timeframe and the continued acceptance of wagers from a person already listed on BetStop.
BetStop Enforcement Extends Across Wagering Sector
Other Australian gambling operators have faced action over separate self-exclusion failures during 2026. Dabble previously came under scrutiny after regulators found that it had failed to close 157 wagering accounts belonging to people who had registered with BetStop.
Regulators also found that 165 self-excluded people received a total of 839 electronic messages from Dabble. That matter formed part of broader enforcement activity involving failures to apply exclusion rules after customers had taken steps to block their own access to wagering services.
A separate case in Victoria involved a keno operator that received a $75,000 fine from the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission. The case involved failures to keep track of a self-excluded player who was attempting to avoid identity verification requirements.
The Palmerbet undertaking therefore arrives amid continuing scrutiny of how gambling businesses identify excluded customers and apply restrictions to their accounts.
Penalty Changes Due in 2027
Further changes to the enforcement framework are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027. The ACMA has said those changes will substantially increase the penalties available for breaches of BetStop rules.
For Palmerbet, the immediate requirement is the 18-month compliance undertaking and the independent review attached to it. The company must assess the systems and processes involved in meeting self-exclusion obligations and implement recommended improvements.
Palmerbet has already refunded the affected customer’s deposits made after the BetStop registration and before the account closed. The Federal Court remains available to the ACMA as an enforcement route if the company fails to comply with the undertaking.