Australia Fines Poker Operators AU$24.24 Million in Penalties
Australia’s Federal Court has imposed AU$24.24 million ($16.8 million) in penalties on Brisbane Poker Pty Ltd, Rhys Edward Jones and Brenton Lee Buttigieg over prohibited online poker services sold to Australians under the brands PPPFish, Shuffle Gaming and Redraw Poker, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said on July 6. The court found that Brisbane Poker and Jones breached the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 through the services, while Buttigieg promoted them through a private Facebook group.
Brisbane Poker was ordered to pay AU$15 million ($10.4 million) and Jones AU$9 million ($6.25 million) for the poker services. Buttigieg was ordered to pay AU$240,000 ($166,700) for his part in the promotion. A related 2023 judgment against Diverse Link Pty Ltd added a further AU$5 million ($3.47 million) penalty, and total penalties in the proceedings now reach AU$29.24 million ($20.3 million).
Members of the public used virtual chips to play poker against each other on the platforms, and those chips could be bought and cashed out for real money, the court found. Jones received a five-year ban from any prohibited interactive gambling service, and Buttigieg received the same five-year ban from any role that supports such services.
Court Doubles Agreed Penalty for Promoter
In a separate judgment, Justice Rangiah rejected a AU$120,000 ($83,300) penalty jointly proposed by ACMA and Buttigieg. He set the penalty at AU$240,000 ($166,700) instead, a figure meant to secure real deterrence.
By contrast, the size of the gain each side kept tells its own story: Buttigieg made AU$44,400 ($30,800) from the conduct, while Jones and Brisbane Poker received a AU$7.2 million ($5 million) benefit.
The agreed AU$120,000 figure, in the judge’s view, was too low to deter similar conduct and could turn into just another cost of doing business.
“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,” ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said.
💡TGJ Take
The Buttigieg penalty matters more than the AU$24.24 million headline number. ACMA and the court have made clear that promotional activity, in this case a private Facebook group, carries real financial and injunctive risk on its own. Affiliates and community admins who push offshore poker brands into Australia should treat referral and admin roles as regulated conduct, not marketing. Total penalties in this matter now stand at AU$29.24 million across four defendants, and Australia has built a cost structure for illegal poker that no longer looks like a rounding error.
