Australia’s largest online bookmaker, Sportsbet, has been hit with an AUD 313,140 (approximately USD 209,000) penalty after the Northern Territory Racing and Wagering Commission found the operator failed to issue mandatory gambling activity statements to more than 6,000 customers over an 18‑month period.
Regulator Says Breaches Show “Clear and Repeated” Failures
According to the Commission, Sportsbet breached its licence conditions by failing to send monthly activity statements to 6,131 customers between 2022 and 2024. In total, 51,525 required statements were never delivered. These disclosures are legally mandated to help customers track their betting behavior and reduce the risk of gambling harm.
In its decision notice, the Commission said the violations amounted to a “clear and repeated failure” to meet a core consumer protection obligation. It added that the ongoing nature of the breaches pointed to systemic weaknesses in Sportsbet’s governance and compliance processes, ultimately increasing the risk of harm to consumers.
Commission Chair Alastair Shields said the accumulation of breaches justified the significant fine, underscoring both the seriousness of the non‑compliance and the regulator’s willingness to take strong enforcement action. He also noted that the Commission had not been notified of any legal challenge to the ruling.
Sportsbet attributed the failures to “several technical issues,” expressed regret, and issued an apology to affected customers.
Sportsbet Facing Additional Legal Troubles
The fine comes amid other legal challenges for the operator. Earlier this month, a jailed financier filed a lawsuit against Sportsbet seeking to recover funds he stole from clients and subsequently lost through the platform.
Critics Say the Penalty Falls Short
The size of the fine has drawn criticism from gambling‑harm experts. Charles Livingstone, head of Monash University’s Gambling and Social Determinants Unit, described the penalty as “fairly serious” in principle but financially insignificant for a company of Sportsbet’s scale. While AUD 313,000 is meaningful for the NT regulator, he said it is “virtually nothing” for an operator generating billions in annual revenue.
Livingstone added that although the fine signals an attempt by the regulator to appear tough, real effectiveness would require stronger resourcing, proactive investigations, and a willingness to suspend or revoke licences. Without such measures, he warned, the Commission risks being viewed as ineffective and as a “jurisdiction of convenience.”
