TAB Pays More Than A$2.7m After Australian Regulator Finds Marketing Breaches

Australian gambling operator TAB has paid more than A$2.7 million in penalties after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found breaches of telemarketing and spam laws.

The regulator announced the action on 22 July and said the issues covered calls to VIP customers, contacts made outside permitted hours, inadequate caller identification and marketing messages sent to customers who had unsubscribed from particular channels.

For gambling brands, the development is a sharp reminder that promotional compliance does not end when an offer is approved. Consent records, channel preferences, call timing and customer-service processes can all become regulatory issues when they are not handled consistently.

What the ACMA found

According to the ACMA, between February 2024 and June 2025, TAB made 351 telemarketing calls to numbers on the Do Not Call Register without consent. The authority also identified 82 calls made outside permitted hours and nearly 4,000 calls that did not properly identify TAB as the caller and/or state the purpose of the call.

Separately, the ACMA acted after TAB self-reported that, during a 16-day period in 2025, it sent more than 217,000 marketing emails and SMS messages to customers who had unsubscribed from specific marketing channels.

The regulator said this was its second spam enforcement action involving TAB. It noted a previous penalty of more than A$4 million in 2024 relating to non-compliant SMS and WhatsApp messages sent to VIP customers.

ACMA authority member Samantha Yorke said people who join the Do Not Call Register or unsubscribe from marketing messages are making a clear choice, adding that the choice has added importance in gambling because of the potential for financial loss and psychological harm.

What happens next

The financial penalties are only part of the outcome. The ACMA has accepted a court-enforceable undertaking requiring TAB to arrange an independent review of its telemarketing systems, make improvements and provide regular compliance reports.

The regulator said the latest spam penalty took account of TAB’s self-reporting, the 16-day duration of the email and SMS conduct, and the fact that customers had withdrawn permission for particular channels rather than opting out of all marketing. That context does not remove the breach, but it explains how the authority assessed the outcome.

Under Australian law, businesses must not contact numbers on the Do Not Call Register without consent, must call only during permitted hours, must identify themselves clearly, and must not send marketing messages to people who have unsubscribed.

Why it matters for casino and betting marketing

The story has relevance beyond one operator or one jurisdiction. Gambling marketing increasingly sits under a higher level of public and regulatory scrutiny because promotions can reach people who are trying to reduce or stop gambling activity.

For operators, the practical lesson is that a marketing preference centre cannot be a static database entry. It has to work across every tool and team that sends a message or makes a call: CRM, VIP management, outsourced contact centres, affiliates and campaign reporting.

For affiliates and comparison sites, the same principle applies in a different way. Clear disclosures, accurate bonus conditions and responsible-gambling signposting are not merely presentation choices. They are part of building a relationship that respects a reader’s decisions.

What readers should watch

Watch for TAB’s independent review and the implementation of the required improvements. More broadly, this enforcement action is likely to keep attention on how gambling businesses obtain, store and honour marketing consent — particularly for VIP and higher-spending customer segments.

The ACMA said businesses have paid more than A$12 million in penalties for spam and telemarketing breaches over the past 18 months. The direction is clear: regulators expect marketing controls to work in practice, not only on paper.

Gambling marketing should respect opt-outs and never undermine a person’s efforts to limit or stop play. If gambling is causing harm, seek support from an appropriate local gambling-help service.