A$100k fine against OkeBet for marketing failings upheld
Summary
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has dismissed OkeBet’s appeal and upheld enforcement action by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC). VCAT confirmed that OkeBet breached the Gambling Regulation Act 2003 by sending promotional material to self-excluded individuals and offering prohibited inducements to community sporting clubs. The VGCCC’s penalty — a A$100,000 fine and a formal censure — stands. The Tribunal found evidence that marketing reached self-excluded people, caused harm, and that OkeBet’s systems failed to prevent such communications, even when third parties were involved.
Key Points
- VCAT upheld VGCCC enforcement against OkeBet for breaching the Gambling Regulation Act 2003.
- OkeBet sent promotional material to individuals registered for self-exclusion; this was deemed unlawful.
- The operator offered inducements to community sporting clubs to drive account sign-ups, which is expressly prohibited.
- Regulators found failures in OkeBet’s systems to block marketing to self-excluded people, with evidence some recipients suffered significant distress.
- The ruling emphasises operators’ obligations to maintain robust controls over direct and third-party marketing and commercial partnerships to minimise gambling harm.
Why should I read this?
Quick and blunt: if you run, advise or partner with wagering operators, this is a wake-up call. The tribunal made it clear self-exclusion is non-negotiable and clubs can’t be used to skirt advertising rules. Saves you the time — and the pain — of learning this the hard way after a fine or worse.
Context and Relevance
This ruling reinforces a stricter regulatory stance in Victoria on gambling marketing and harm minimisation. It matters for operators, affiliates and sports clubs: commercial partnerships that incentivise sign-ups are under scrutiny and can trigger penalties. The decision also underlines that consent withdrawn via self-exclusion must be respected across all marketing channels and intermediaries. Expect regulators to use this precedent to bolster enforcement and expect tighter compliance checks on systems that prevent contact with self-excluded customers.
Source
Source: https://next.io/news/regulation/a100k-fine-okebet-marketing-failings-upheld/