Tabcorp hit with AUD2.7 million fine for telemarketing spam

Australian gambling giant Tabcorp has paid an AUD2.7 million (US$1.9 million) fine after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) uncovered a series of spam and telemarketing breaches by the operator.

An ACMA investigation found that TAB made telemarketing calls to 351 VIP customers on Australia’s Do Not Call Register without their consent. 82 calls were made to customers outside permitted hours, and nearly 4,000 calls were made without TAB properly identifying itself as the caller or stating the purpose of the call. The breaches took place between February 2024 and June 2025.

The ACMA also noted that in 2025 TAB self-reported that it had sent more than 217,000 marketing emails and SMS messages over a 16-day period to customers who had unsubscribed to marketing channels.

“When people join the Do Not Call Register or unsubscribe from marketing messages, they are making a clear choice,” ACMA member Samantha Yorke said. “Those choices must be respected – especially given the heightened risks of financial loss and psychological harm from gambling marketing.”

“The scale and range of these breaches point to serious weaknesses in TAB’s compliance systems. The ACMA expects TAB to fix these issues, and we will be watching closely to ensure it meets its obligations.”

ACMA member Samantha Yorke

Tabcorp commits to transformation

In a statement to NewsWire, a Tabcorp spokesperson said the company acknowledged the ACMA’s findings.

“We’re committed to being a compliant company and commenced a whole business transformation under new leadership at the end of 2024,” a TAB spokesperson said.

“Tabcorp assisted the ACMA throughout the investigation and will continue to work closely with all regulators as we continue our transformation.”

Tabcorp Holdings shares, which trade on the Australian Securities Exchange, rose 2% following the announcement before giving up those gains later in the day.

It has been a turbulent few months for Tabcorp. In May, Australia’s financial intelligence agency, AUSTRAC, launched an investigation into the company’s compliance with anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing obligations, with the company’s share price falling 25% following the announcement.

At the time, Tabcorp Chairman Brett Chenoweth said the company “takes its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing obligations very seriously.”

Regulatory trouble

It is the second major fine Tabcorp has received from the ACMA in little more than a year. In June 2025, the operator was ordered to pay AUD4 million (US$2.6 million) for sending more than 5,700 non-compliant marketing messages to customers during the first half of 2024.

In February, the ACMA hit the company with a AUD158,400 (US$111,800) fine for accepting more than 400 prohibited in-play bets across 32 tennis matches, in violation of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. Tabcorp said the breaches occurred because of a systems error involving a third-party provider.

In 2023, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) fined the operator AUD1 million (US$638,600) following a blackout of its Wagering and Betting System during the 2020 Spring Racing Carnival.

The same year, it was also struck with a AUD15,000 (US$9,618) fine in New South Wales for unlawfully advertising to people who did not already hold a TAB betting account.