An Australian court has imposed A$29.2m (€16.2m) in civil penalties against the operators and promoter of a network of illegal online poker platforms.
The Federal Court ordered holding company Brisbane Poker Pty Ltd to pay A$15m, and its sole director and shareholder Rhys Edward Jones A$9m.
Gambling promoter and affiliate Brenton Lee Buttigieg was also ordered to pay A$240,000 over the operation and promotion of the PPPFish, Shuffle Gaming and Redraw Poker brands.
Online poker and online casino are both illegal in Australia, where only sports betting and horse race betting are permitted by licensed operators.
After a A$5m penalty was imposed on Diverse Link Pty Ltd back in 2023, these proceedings have totalled A$29.2m in penalties, marking one of the biggest enforcement actions ever under Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) originally brought the proceedings in April 2022 following an investigation into online poker services.
ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin said: “This decision sends a clear warning that offering online poker to Australians is illegal and there are serious consequences for those who breach the law.
“Illegal gambling services put Australians at risk, and the ACMA will continue to take action against those who target these services at Australian consumers,” she added.
Operators continued despite regulatory warnings
The case focused on online poker platforms that allowed Australian customers to buy virtual poker chips with real money before playing against each other.
In November 2025, the Federal Court found Jones and Brisbane Poker had repeatedly breached regulations by providing prohibited interactive gambling services.
Almost 30,000 deposits were made through the platforms, worth more than A$7.2m, generating profits of around A$4.2m.
Justice Rangiah found the conduct was both “deliberate and commercially motivated” and had continued even after ACMA had begun investigating.
Instead of shutting the sites down, users were moved between different brands, which effectively allowed the same business to continue operating, according to the court.
In addition to the financial penalties, Jones was banned from providing online gambling services for five years and ordered to pay ACMA’s legal costs.
Judge rejects affiliate penalty as too lenient
A key element of the case focused on social media affiliate promoter Brenton Lee Buttigieg.
Buttigieg admitted aiding and abetting illegal gambling services by promoting them through a Facebook page with more than 2,200 members.
Court documents showed he received A$44,400 in return for sign-ups. But while ACMA and Buttigieg jointly proposed a civil penalty of A$120,000, the judge refused.
Justice Rangiah ruled the proposed figure would not adequately deter similar conduct, arguing that Buttigieg had knowingly promoted illegal gambling over several months for personal financial gain.
Instead, in a stark warning to Australian affiliates, the court imposed double that amount with a final financial penalty of A$240,000, as well as a five-year injunction to prevent Buttigieg from repeating similar offences.
