ACMA issues formal warnings to Mitch Robinson and Rhys Mathieson over Vegastars promotions

ACMA issued formal warnings to former Brisbane Lions players Mitch Robinson and Rhys Mathieson for promoting Vegastars, an offshore online casino ACMA had already ordered blocked. The regulator says the promotions ran between March and April 2026 on Instagram and the Rip Through It podcast and that both men accepted responsibility, ended their involvement and removed the promotional material.

What ACMA found and when

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) published a media release dated 22 October 2026 confirming the formal warnings. ACMA says the posts and podcast segments promoted Vegastars by naming the service, showing its logo and website address, and including gameplay and promotional commentary. Robinson promoted Vegastars on Instagram and through the Rip Through It podcast on YouTube; Mathieson promoted it on Instagram.

ACMA had previously taken enforcement action against the operator, Neptune Projects S.R.L. In a formal warning dated 20 January 2026 ACMA found that Neptune Projects S.R.L had contravened subsection 15(2A) of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 by providing a prohibited interactive gambling service to customers in Australia. ACMA asked Australian internet service providers to block the site in January 2026 and on 13 February 2026 named Vegastars among the latest sites it had requested be blocked.

ACMA's published blocklist now carries nine Vegastars domains, from vegastars.com to vegastars11.com. The regulator said in April that it monitors for mirror sites and re-blocks them.

Legal penalties on the books and ACMA's approach

The maximum civil penalty for an individual who promotes an illegal gambling service is A$65,520 per contravention, and A$2.73 million for facilitating access. ACMA has not imposed fines on Robinson or Mathieson; both received formal warnings, which carry no financial penalty.

ACMA characterises this action as the second enforcement against an individual influencer in 2026. The first was a formal warning to mixed martial arts fighter Jamie Mullarkey in July 2026. ACMA's earlier statement about Mullarkey found he had contravened subsection 61EA(1A) of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 by publishing advertisements for designated interactive gambling services and had been knowingly concerned in the operator's breaches of subsections 15(2A) and 15AA(3).

ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood said both Robinson and Mathieson accepted responsibility, promptly ended their involvement with Vegastars and removed all promotional material. She added:

"All influencers are now firmly on notice. Anyone who uses their online profile to promote illegal gambling services will face regulatory action which can include significant financial penalties." — Carolyn Lidgerwood, ACMA

ACMA told media in April that it was engaging with influencers about legal risks and examining a number of potential breaches after the matter first surfaced in a Nine Network A Current Affair report in April 2026.

Enforcement context: blocking, content and practical limits

ACMA has blocked a growing list of illegal services. Since its first request in November 2019, ACMA had blocked 1,822 illegal gambling and affiliate websites by 24 September 2026, and more than 230 illegal services have withdrawn from the Australian market since 2017, according to its blocking update. The regulator reported 1,518 sites blocked at the time it named Vegastars on 13 February 2026; that total rose as further blocking requests were issued.

ACMA noted the practical limit of domain blocking when the Vegastars promotions ran after the January 2026 operator warning and the February 13 block request. Blocking prevents a browser loading a domain, but social media posts and podcast segments can reach audiences directly and point users to mirror sites. ACMA monitors for mirror sites and re-blocks them, but the regulator says a recognisable face can still route users around a block.

Advertising rules for licensed bookmakers and timing

From 1 January 2027 licensed bookmakers in Australia will be prohibited from featuring current or former athletes, celebrities or influencers in wagering advertising. The operator, not the individual, will carry a penalty of 1,000 penalty units — A$364,000 per placement at the Commonwealth penalty unit value effective 1 July 2026. Promoting an illegal offshore service remained unlawful for individuals under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, with personal liability for promotion; to date ACMA's individual enforcement outcomes have been formal warnings rather than civil penalty proceedings.

ACMA's sequence of actions — a January operator warning and block request followed by March–April promotions and then named warnings to the individuals in October — highlights the regulator's continuing emphasis on monitoring and public naming. ACMA describes the October warnings as a continuation of recent enforcement action against individual influencers.

Public disclosures and media coverage

The case first surfaced in April 2026 when Nine's A Current Affair reported that the two were promoting Vegastars to their social media audiences, including a A$5,000 giveaway tied to fuel price pressures, a figure Asia Gaming Brief reported as approximately $3,500. The two co-host the Rip Through It podcast, according to Focus Gaming News. Neither Robinson nor Mathieson responded to A Current Affair's requests for comment at the time.

ACMA's enforcement register and its formal decisions set out the statutory contraventions and the blocklist entries. The regulator's press releases dated 13 February 2026 and 22 October 2026, and the formal warning to Neptune Projects S.R.L dated 20 January 2026, are cited in ACMA's public material.