The Australian Communications and Media Authority has added another 12 illegal gambling websites to its blacklist, keeping up a sustained enforcement campaign against unlicensed operators targeting Australian punters.

Latest Enforcement Wave

This round caught 7Signs, Crhomabet, Donbet, Duospin, Freshbet, Slots Gem, Jacks Club, and LuckyStart among others. ACMA suspended them for breaching the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, specifically for operating without the required licences and offering prohibited products such as casino games of chance.

Since the enforcement began, ACMA has now suspended 1,751 illegal gambling and affiliate websites. A further 230 services have voluntarily withdrawn from the Australian market.

The Persistent Problem

The numbers look impressive on paper. But there’s a fundamental issue here: the enforcement model simply isn’t keeping pace with how quickly operators adapt. When ACMA blocks a domain, the operators don’t typically pack it in. They launch mirror sites and keep operating, forcing regulators into an endless game of regulatory whack-a-mole.

This reactive approach means ACMA is constantly reviewing and banning specific websites one at a time, a labour-intensive process that struggles to match the speed and agility of determined illegal operators.

Broadening the Attack

Recognising this limitation, ACMA has expanded its enforcement scope beyond just targeting websites. The regulator is now pursuing individuals within Australia who help these operators reach customers, with particular focus on influencers and content creators promoting illegal gambling services.

The logic makes sense: make advertising and promoting these services less attractive to personalities with genuine reach and credibility. Cut off the distribution channels, you reduce the customer acquisition pipeline.

The Real Test

Whether this expanded approach actually works, we’ll see. Domain blocking will always be part of the toolkit, but it’s clearly not enough on its own. The influencer angle could be genuinely disruptive if enforced consistently, particularly if ACMA can demonstrate real consequences for high-profile promoters.

For now, the regulator is doing what it can within its remit. The bigger question is whether the current enforcement strategy can actually shift the dial on illegal gambling prevalence, or whether it’s simply creating the appearance of action while operators continue adapting faster than regulators can respond.