Australia’s communications regulator has instructed internet service providers to block access to a dozen unlicensed gambling and affiliate marketing websites, maintaining pressure on illegal operators in one of the world’s most competitive online betting markets.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) action targets 7Signs, ChromaBet, Donbet, Duospin, Freshbet, Slots Gem, Jacks Club, Lucky Start, Pointsbetz.com, Spinrise, Vinyl Casino and Wildsino as part of its enforcement campaign under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

Copycat Tactics and Consumer Risk

Among the blocked sites, Pointsbetz.com deserves a closer look. The platform mimics the branding of licensed operator PointsBet, a tactic that’s distressingly common. It works because visual and nomenclatural similarity to authorised services lowers user suspicion. This blurs the line between legitimate and rogue operators in the eyes of consumers.

Since November 2019, ACMA has blocked 1,751 illegal gambling and affiliate marketing websites. The regulator emphasises that these unlicensed platforms operate without essential consumer protections, exposing bettors to financial risk. In a dispute scenario, they’re left with no recourse whatsoever.

The Limits of Network Enforcement

Australia’s network-level blocking strategy works in theory, yet its structural limitations are becoming impossible to ignore. Illegal operators routinely resurface under new domain names. More critically, they’ve migrated significant promotional activity to social media and streaming platforms like Kick and TikTok, where casino-branded influencer content operates largely beyond regulatory reach.

H2 Gambling Capital’s 2025 analysis reveals the scale of what ACMA is actually up against. Australians now lose an estimated AU$3.9 billion annually to illegal sites, with the legal market’s channelisation declining from 74 percent in 2021 to 64 percent today.

New Advertising Restrictions on the Horizon

The regulatory environment is tightening further. The Albanese government has announced sweeping advertising restrictions taking effect in January 2027, introducing caps, bans and content limitations across television, radio and online channels.

Here’s the paradox, though: these restrictions may actually narrow one of the few structural advantages licensed operators retain over offshore competitors. While legal platforms will face tighter promotional constraints, illegal sites can continue operating outside the regulatory framework with minimal advertising compliance burden.

The convergence of network enforcement, content migration, and incoming advertising restrictions places substantial pressure on compliance teams, payment service providers and media partners to scrutinise brand associations and promotional activities more carefully than ever before.