Entain’s Australian brands Ladbrokes AU and Neds AU are in hot water after an Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found more than 500 breaches of national self-exclusion rules.
The UK-headquartered company has now entered into a court-enforceable undertaking, with the ACMA finding that its brands opened accounts for people registered with Australia’s national self-exclusion register BetStop.
It is also said to have failed to close wagering accounts for self-excluded customers.
“When someone signs up to BetStop, wagering companies must close all of that person’s accounts held within their services,” said ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood.
“In this case, Entain’s systems did not adequately identify and link all wagering accounts held by those customers across its services, including one account that remained open for more than a year after the customer had self-excluded.
“When people register for self-exclusion there should be no way for them to open new accounts for licensed wagering services in Australia.”
Not Entain’s first legal rodeo
This is not the first time that Entain has encountered problems with the law around customer protection and gambling compliance in Australia.
Back in November 2025, the Federal Court of Australia set a date of 30 November 2026 to hear the financial watchdog AUSTRAC’s lawsuit against Entain.
The lawsuit alleges AML and compliance failings from Neds, Bookmaker.com.au and Ladbrokes AU, with AUSTRAC claiming the group’s brands operated with deficient customer verification, inadequate source-of-funds checks, and permitted cash-deposit and third-party channels that exposed its wagering network to the risk of criminal exploitation.
Notwithstanding the fact that the business has even more issues to contend with in its own home market of the UK, including tax hikes, retail shop closures and a share price which has been tumbling on the London Stock Exchange over the last 12 months, it keeps seeming to find itself embroiled in legal disputes.
In late March of this year, Entain was fined DKK 500,000 (£57,000) for a ‘Risk-Free Gambling’ campaign within its bwin brand in Denmark.
The company has made conscious efforts to uphold player protection standards, and Chief Executive Officer, Stella David, is one of the most vocal advocates of banning unlicensed brands from sponsoring in English sports.
Despite these efforts and its public statements, the firm is just as liable for compliance infractions as any other. Australia may be a hotbed of regulatory difficulty for the company.
In relation to the newest case, the ACMA’s investigation also found Entain failed to adequately promote BetStop in customer texts and emails as required under the rules.
The ACMA has secured an 18-month, court-enforceable undertaking from Entain.
Under this agreement, the company will commission an independent review of its compliance systems and processes and implement any recommended improvements.
The ACMA did not issue an infringement notice, as that option was not available in this case. However, if Entain fails to meet the terms of the undertaking, it could face court-imposed financial penalties.
In response to the court-enforceable undertaking, a spokesperson for Entain Australia said: “We take all our regulatory responsibilities seriously. These matters arose during the early stages of a new national system, and we have worked constructively with the ACMA to implement meaningful enhancements to our processes and controls.
“Our focus is on getting this right for our customers, particularly those who choose to self-exclude, and on building long-term trust through a strong, compliance-led culture.”
The spokesperson also highlighted the fact that the ACMA has accepted an enforceable undertaking, rather than issuing a fine as it has done with other operators in the past, such as Betfair, PointsBet and, more recently, Tabcorp.
They also made clear that the matters relate to the initial rollout of BetStop, pointing to the fact that errors can be made during early stages of a new system, and Entain has said it has also delivered material improvements, including stronger customer matching, better account linking and ongoing system upgrades.
Entain said it has engaged “constructively with the ACMA throughout, providing detailed submissions and working in good faith to address issues”.
