Amused Group fined for emails to self-excluded customers

Amused Group sent an email to 7,713 people, including 772 who had self-excluded.

Australia.- Amused Group, the operator of the BetNation brand, has been fined AU$13,770 for sending a promotional offer to hundreds of customers who had asked to be excluded from betting. The Northern Territory Racing Commission, which oversees most online gambling in the territory, deemed the breach to be a serious and cautionary tale for other wagering operators. 

Amused sent an email was sent to 7,713 customers to announce that it would accept wagers of up to AU$1,000 on any horse in the Melbourne Cup, with chances to win bonuses of up to AU$50 if a selected horse placed second to 10th. The email was received by 772 people who had requested a ban from gambling through the regulator or directly with the company.

The commission received an immediate complaint from one self-excluded individual and ten more complaints expressing varying distress and anger at receiving the email. The Northern Territory Racing Commission’s responsible online gambling code mandates that companies have procedures in place to prevent correspondence or promotional material from being sent to excluded individuals or those who have requested not to receive such information.

In response to the regulator’s enquiries, Amused Group said it promptly sent an email retracting the promotional message, apologising for the error, and advising how to make a complaint. The company said the email was sent to the wrong client list due to human error and that measures had been put in place to prevent a recurrence.

See also: Alastair Shields: “The NTRC has made problem gambling a particular focus”