$24 million sanction – ACMA gets serious in action against illegal gambling operators
A long-running investigation into prohibited online poker services has resulted in substantial sanctions, highlighting ongoing efforts to curb unlawful gambling platforms that target Australian players via virtual currency systems.
The Federal Court has imposed more than $24 million in penalties on the operators of three illegal online poker services in a significant enforcement action under Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) following proceedings brought by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
The Court ordered Brisbane Poker Pty Ltd to pay a $15 million penalty, its director Rhys Edward Jones to pay $9 million and Brenton Lee Buttigieg to pay $240,000 over their involvement in operating and promoting the prohibited online poker services PPPfish, Shuffle Gaming and Redraw Poker.
The latest penalties follow an earlier $5 million fine imposed on associated company Diverse Link Pty Ltd in 2023, bringing the total penalties arising from the proceedings to $29.24 million.
A regulator of online content and wagering, the ACMA launched proceedings in the Federal Court in April 2022 after an investigation found the services enabled Australians to play online poker against one another using virtual chips that could be purchased and exchanged for real money.
The Federal Court found in November 2025 that Brisbane Poker and Jones had contravened the IGA by providing prohibited interactive gambling services, while Buttigieg admitted aiding and abetting the contraventions before the Court determined the penalties.
In addition to the financial penalties, the Court ordered Jones and Brisbane Poker to pay the ACMA’s legal costs.
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the decision reinforced that online poker remained illegal in Australia and that operators who ignored the law faced serious consequences.
“This decision sends a clear warning that offering online poker to Australians is illegal and there are serious consequences for those who breach the law,” O’Loughlin said.
She said illegal gambling services exposed Australian consumers to significant risks because they operated outside Australia’s regulatory framework and lacked the consumer protections required of licensed wagering providers.
The IGA prohibits the provision of most online casino-style gambling services to Australians, including online poker, roulette and blackjack, while licensed operators are permitted to offer wagering on racing and sporting events under state and territory agreements.
The legislation, which came into force in 2001 and was strengthened through amendments in 2017, gave the ACMA expanded powers to investigate illegal operators, seek civil penalties, request website-blocking orders, and work with international regulators to disrupt unlawful gambling services targeting Australians.
The regulator has increasingly used those powers in recent years, with more than 230 illegal gambling services withdrawing from the Australian market since stronger enforcement measures were introduced and internet service providers directed to block more than 1700 illegal gambling and affiliate websites.
The ACMA has also stepped up compliance action against licensed wagering operators for breaches of gambling rules, including offences relating to in-play betting, consumer protection obligations and the national BetStop self-exclusion scheme, as part of broader efforts to strengthen integrity across Australia’s online gambling sector.
The Federal Court’s decision is among the regulator’s most significant enforcement outcomes against illegal online poker operators.
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