Tabcorp Holdings Limited has been fined $262,920 for accepting online in-play sports bets, an activity that is illegal in Australia. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found that Tabcorp accepted 854 in-play bets across 69 tennis matches between April and October 2023. In-play betting, which involves betting on a sporting event after it has commenced, is prohibited in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.

ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood stated, "In-play betting increases access to gambling opportunities and exacerbates the risks of gambling harm, as people can place bets with high frequency on multiple outcomes during sporting events." She further emphasised the importance of all online wagering services having systems in place to prevent the acceptance of illegal in-play bets, citing the significant growth in online sports betting in recent years.

Tabcorp reported that the breaches occurred due to a technical 'bug' in its systems, which was not fixed until October 2023. In addition to the penalty, Tabcorp has advised the ACMA of controls it now has in place and future steps it will be taking to minimise the risk of online in-play bets being accepted. Lidgerwood expressed concern over the duration of the system error, stating, "Tabcorp is a major wagering operator and it is concerning that it took some 6 months for the system error to be identified and fixed."

The ACMA took into account that Tabcorp had voided all bets so consumers did not suffer any loss and Tabcorp did not profit from the errors. This is not the first time Tabcorp has been issued a formal warning by the ACMA, with a previous incident in November 2021 for accepting in-play bets on a United States college basketball game.