Tabcorp Fined $158,400 for Illegal In-Play Bets in Australia
Tabcorp Holdings Limited has been hit with a $158,400 penalty after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found the company had illegally accepted online in-play sports bets, in breach of Australian law.
An ACMA investigation revealed that Tabcorp had taken 426 in-play bets across 32 tennis matches between February 2024 and June 2025. In-play betting—placing wagers after a sporting event has commenced—is prohibited under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
According to the ACMA, all the illegal bets were voided and customers were refunded. The authority accepted Tabcorp’s explanation that the breaches were due to systems and communication issues with a third-party provider.
ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood noted that this is the third time since 2021 that Tabcorp has breached the rules on in-play betting. “The law is clear and wagering services must have processes in place to prevent illegal in-play bets from being accepted,” Ms Lidgerwood said. She added, “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.”
Along with the financial penalty, Tabcorp has entered into a comprehensive enforceable undertaking, requiring the company to review its systems and processes around closing betting on tennis matches and to report regularly to the ACMA. Any further non-compliance could result in proceedings through the Federal Court.
English