Tabcorp hit with $158,400 penalty for taking illegal in-play sports bets

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced Tabcorp Holdings Limited has been slapped with a $158,400 penalty for taking online in-play sports bets, which are illegal in the country.

The regulators say an investigation found the company accepted 426 in-play bets across 32 tennis matches between February 2024 and June 2025.

However, they highlight that online in-play betting, where wagers are made on a sporting event after it has commenced, isn’t allowed in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

The in-play sports bets that were allegedly found in the investigation were described to have been accepted in breach of the IGA and were voided by Tabcorp and the bets refunded.

The breaches are also said to have occurred due to systems and communication issues with its third-party provider. The company was previously fined over AUD 4 million ($2.6 million) after the ACMA found it broke national spam laws by sending thousands of marketing messages to its VIP customers without following the rules.

Tabcorp allegedly accepts in-play sports bets due to systems and comms issues

While the ACMA accepts the evidence from Tabcorp about the breaches, ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood says this is the third time since 2021 that the company has breached the in-play betting rules.

“The law is clear and wagering services must have processes in place to prevent illegal in-play bets from being accepted,” Ms Lidgerwood said.

“While we understand that most wagering operators rely on third-party providers to close betting on sporting events, they cannot outsource their legal responsibilities.

“The length of time it took Tabcorp to identify and then fix the problem was concerning and we expect Tabcorp to do better in the future,” Ms Lidgerwood said.

As well as the financial penalty, the company has also had to enter into a comprehensive enforceable undertaking which requires the company to run a review of its systems and processes relating to the closing of betting on tennis matches and to report regularly to the ACMA.

The regulators have warned that any further non-compliance by the company could result in proceedings through the federal court.

Featured image: Canva

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