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A gambling company, Sportsbet, reportedly leaned on Australia’s communications watchdog to tone down the wording of a public enforcement announcement, according to documents released under freedom of information laws.
ABC News reports that in 2022, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) fined Sportsbet a then-record AUD 2.5 million ($1.7 million) after finding the company had sent marketing texts and emails to tens of thousands of people who had already tried to unsubscribe, breaching Australia’s spam laws.
But documents obtained by the news outlet suggest that Sportsbet managed to convince the regulator to soften key parts of a draft media release before it was published.
Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie called the situation deeply troubling.
“This is shocking at every level,” he said. “This exchange shows a very, very cosy relationship and a very unhealthy relationship.”
Gambling policy expert Lauren Levin from the Gambling Policy Hub said both the company and the regulator had behaved inappropriately.
“Sportsbet is totally out of line, and I think that the regulator is also totally out of line,” she said. “It is quite unbelievable that a chair of a regulator allows her words to be changed.”
Despite the criticism, the ACMA has rejected claims that the final announcement was weakened, insisting it was not “diminished in any way.”
Broader concerns about regulator independence

ABC News also pointed out that the regulator has been under growing scrutiny over how close it is to the industries it oversees. Previous reporting found that the ACMA privately negotiated with Optus to scale back penalties over serious public safety breaches, and even adjusted the timing of an enforcement announcement involving the Commonwealth Bank so it wouldn’t clash with the bank’s annual general meeting.
According to the documents, Sportsbet pushed back against the wording in an early draft of the ACMA’s media release about the enforcement action. The regulator had found that the company sent more than 150,000 messages to over 37,000 people who had already tried to unsubscribe.
In the original draft, ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin allegedly said: “It is highly likely that some of these people are vulnerable to gambling-related problems and were trying to address the issue by unsubscribing from Sportsbet’s promotions.”
She also stated: “It is a significant decision for individuals to choose to cease gambling and Sportsbet’s failures in this matter had the real potential to cause financial and emotional harm to these people and their families.”
Sportsbet objected to both passages, arguing the wording should be “tempered/changed as the force, breadth or basis for the statement is questionable.”
In the final public version, the wording was said to have been altered to say the ACMA had received complaints from people experiencing gambling-related problems and that the company’s failures had the “real potential to contribute to financial and emotional harm.”
Former NSW Supreme Court judge and Centre for Public Integrity chair Anthony Whealy said the regulator should never have given in.
“It’s got to stick to its guns and it’s not doing that,” he said. “The reason Sportsbet didn’t want those sentences in there was because it magnified the harm of what they had done, but it magnified the harm correctly.
“This is another example of a regulator, because of the cosy relationship it has, wrongly acceding to requests for special treatment.”
Wilkie has urged the Albanese government to look into whether this kind of behavior points to a wider, systemic problem.
ACMA and Sportsbet responses
The ACMA declined to be interviewed but said in a statement that changes were made “to more accurately reflect the circumstances of the matter.” It said draft media releases are shared to make sure they’re fair and accurate, and pushed back against claims that it wasn’t properly holding companies to account.
Sportsbet defended its involvement, saying: “Sportsbet provided comment on three suggested amendments to correct data and the factual accuracy of statements.
“The ACMA retained ultimate control of the media release drafting and content.
“Any decisions related to the media release is a matter for ACMA.”
The company didn’t explain what evidence it used to challenge the regulator’s original wording.
Sportsbet also said it had since overhauled its systems, stating it had conducted “an end-to-end review of its consent and marketing frameworks” and improved policies, training and systems to meet regulatory requirements.
Levin also raised concerns about a separate case involving a man with what she described as a “severe gambling problem.” His gambling records ran to more than 900 pages, which was among the largest she had ever seen.
After he unsubscribed from marketing in mid-2020, the man later received a personalised email from a Sportsbet staff member offering direct contact details, priority betting services, hospitality tickets, and a “$500 bonus bet.”
Levin said he kept gambling and later experienced serious financial and mental health harm.
She accused Sportsbet of exploiting a loophole that allowed it to keep contacting him despite the unsubscribe request, and said the company should have stepped in much earlier.
In 2023, she helped file a complaint with the ACMA questioning why the man didn’t receive compensation under the $1.2 million refund program tied to the spam breaches.
According to Levin, the regulator declined to take action.
“They didn’t actually do anything with his complaint as far as I can see. He was on his own.”
The ACMA said it couldn’t comment on individual cases for privacy reasons, and noted that the compensation scheme was run by Sportsbet under independent oversight. It also said it doesn’t have the power to order compensation for specific individuals.
Sportsbet also declined to comment on the individual case, saying it carries out ongoing customer checks and promotes safer gambling tools.
ReadWrite has reached out to the ACMA and Sportsbet for comment.
Featured image: Sportsbet
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With the 2026 PDC World Darts Championship underway at Alexandra Palace in London, top-ranked players such as teen sensation Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Michael van Gerwen are vying for the bumper £1,000,000 winners’ prize and the Sid Waddell trophy, but they will have plenty of competition. 
The game of darts has never had it so good. 
This year at Ally Pally, as the London venue is colloquially known, a record-breaking £5million prize pot is on offer, including the winners’ cheque. 
Other incentives include a £60,000 spot prize for any player to make a nine-dart finish, while the same amount will be won by a lucky fan in attendance, with a matched amount being donated to Prostate Cancer UK. 
The charity has received more than £2 million from Paddy Power over the last two editions of the biggest show in darts.

@paddypower will remain title sponsor of the World Darts Championship until 2031!
Their game-changing charity campaigns have already raised over £2m for @ProstateUK so far.
Next stop: Ally Pally, Dec 11 Jan 3. pic.twitter.com/xGtawDPw4R
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 1, 2025

Darts and betting is a partnership that works, with mutual benefit
The healthy position enjoyed by darts comes thanks to its partners and backers, including Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Flutter Entertainment’s Paddy Power, the title sponsor of the PDC World Darts Championship. 
The organization’s chief executive has lauded the relationship that professional darts enjoys with the betting industry, and he has stated that it will not change. 
Matt Porter was speaking to the SportsPro Podcast when he detailed how the company currently has a partner network that is more diverse and expansive than ever before, going way beyond betting. 
However, he also stated that betting firms are “queuing up” to get on board with the PDC.
It’s a partnership that works, with mutual benefits, and the synergy is clear to see. 
Darts is relentless. The ‘arrows’ hit the board, and the sums are added up. The players instantly assess their options, quickly identifying what the next best option is to get the win.
Then, in the Alexandra Palace setting, the stakes and the sense of occasion are heightened.
With every decent throw, the crowd roars and demands more willing on the players until the game is won. 

THE 9 DART BONUS IS BACK!
As part of THE EVEN BIGGER 180, we are once again handing out £180,000 when a 9 darter lands during the World Darts Championship
That’s:£60k to @ProstateUK£60k to the player£60k to a fan in the crowd
Throwback to @DamonHeta180 nailing… pic.twitter.com/wz31jnXBRO
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) December 10, 2025

Darts naturally lend themselves to various betting markets and patterns, thanks to their speed of play and simple concept.
The bottom line is that the commercial relationship is a positive, productive one, as is evidenced by the portfolio of sponsors on the darts circuit. 
Various betting brands, BetMGM, Betfred, Boylesports, BetVictor, Ladbrokes, Mr Vegas, and StarGames, are current partners of PDC events.
That is in addition to Paddy Power, the title sponsor of the World Championship tournament, and both parties have recently extended that agreement through to 2031. 
Long-established relationship between darts and betting
Paddy Power took over the mantle from the fallen online car retail platform Cazoo in 2024, with the relationship to run for at least an eighth year. 
PDC CEO Matt Porter said of the fresh deal: “We are delighted to extend this partnership through to 2031 and look forward to working together to continue growing the event, supporting the players, and using the global platform of darts to raise vital funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer UK.”
Ladbrokes was the title sponsor of the biggest event in darts from 2003 to 2014, then William Hill had the rights from 2015 to 2022. 
The link between darts and gambling is well-established and very visible. 
Porter also spoke of the growing partner pool, as well as the reality of the ongoing relationship with the gambling industry, which dominates sponsorship. 
“We’ve got a wide range of partners (including) a hotel partner, a tyre partner, a financial services partner, there’s half a dozen or so (partners) you will see on the set when you watch our events,” he said.
“We’ve got a limited amount of inventory for that. So now our commercial team is being creative and putting together packages that are either digital, activation only, or just different from the standard, traditional branding model.”
Porter continued, “But you have to look at it commercially. The product works for betting companies and betting companies are queuing up for it, so we have to service the event first and foremost.”
Just like in soccer, betting on darts is part of the experience for many fans and spectators, but there is growing concern about the exposure to gambling in sports and how this impacts vulnerable demographics. 
Counterproductive for darts and gambling
In the Premier League in England, a voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsors will take effect for the start of the 2026/27 season. 
This is a form of caution and self-policing that is not likely to be repeated in darts, according to Porter.
He does not want darts to be limited or too reliant on sponsorship from the gambling industry, but under his watch, the organization is not going to limit such agreements or reduce exposure for the betting brands that adorn the advertising space around the big tournaments.
“I think it’s an ongoing evolution,” said Porter. 
“We’re certainly not one of those sports that are going to come out and say, ‘We don’t want to have betting partners anymore’. 
“That’s just not going to be our model, it would be counterproductive for both us and for them.”
Sportsbook data has indicated the number of bets placed on darts has increased by 37% since 2018, while specific bets on the flagship PDC World Championship have spiked by a massive 92%. 
The information from betting giant Entain also showed that total stakes have risen by 59%, as part of darts’ soaring appeal, going from strength to strength.
Image credit: PDC Darts
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The Netherlands gambling authority, known as Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has issued a notice to TOTO Online for “violating the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act.”
The regulator says the company has fallen short in the ongoing control of business relationships and their transactions, which are supposed to take place after the first client investigation.
“The statement states, among other things, that TOTO Online in certain cases does not sufficiently clearly record why new facts or events do not lead to an adjustment of the risk classifications of clients and why it takes certain management measures. Also, the investigation into the origin of players’ money is not sufficient,” the KSA says in a translated news release.
TOTO Online cooperated during the investigation, the KSA says
According to the gambling authority, gambling providers are required to monitor gambling behavior and investigate it if necessary, such as when suddenly depositing large amounts. The regulator has a Wwft Guideline published on the website, which points out risks like high deposits, even when they come from the player’s own bank account.
TOTO Online is described as having cooperated during the investigation, and some of the violations that were originally found ended before the instruction was made. They now have to terminate the violations within six months, and after this period has ended, the KSA will carry out a re-audit.
The news release was published on December 24, with the regulator having also shared details of a separate incident just a few days prior (December 22) about LeoVegas. It was then that the gaming authority announced it had imposed a fine on LeoVegas because it didn’t sufficiently comply with the duty of care between the period of October 2023 and May 2024.
As a result, a €500,000 fine was imposed, following the KSA having requested several players’ files from the company and finding that they referred to non-compliance with the duty of care.
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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Crown Coins Casino is expanding its game library in what they describe to be a ‘strategic move,’ as they aim to “stay ahead of its peers in industry trends.”
The company says it has no intention of stopping its expansion, explaining how the popularity of slot games amongst American players means they need “to have a variety of them to eliminate any possibility of monotony while engaging in any of them.”
An emphasis on diversity has been prioritised in its new range of games, with themes and mechanics designed to cater to the range of player preferences prevalent in the country.
The new games span adventure-themed slots, classic fruit machines, and feature-rich video games. “To support its bid for innovation and variety, Crown Coins Casino has partnered with reputable game developers. By doing so, the casino not only ensures a consistent addition of slots but also the quality of the games,” the company explains in its announcement.
Developers like Pragmatic Play, Playtech, and Ruby Play have been listed as having worked on the new releases.
Crown Coins Casino highlights growing interest in mobile play
The focus hasn’t just been on introducing the new range, but also making improvements to ensure the platform is optimized for mobile play. According to Crown Coins Casino, there is a growing preference for using mobile devices to access online slot sites in the United States.
“It has also been noted that its mobile optimization goes beyond just accessing the slot site on mobile devices. The reason for saying this is that the casino has measures in place to ensure that each game loads quickly, the platform adapts to various screen sizes, and maintains high visual quality across devices. As such, every maneuver made via mobile devices is seamless and easy for players of all experience levels.”
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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