Illegal Poker Crackdown
Australian Federal Court orders $29.24 million in total penalties for illegal online poker services
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Key Points
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Operational period and financial flow: The court found that PPPfish and Shuffle Gaming/Redraw Poker operated between October 2020 and March 2021, with an estimated net profit of about $4.2 million. Funds were moved via bank transfers to Rhys Jones’s personal accounts or to Brisbane Poker, then credited as poker chips to players, with cash-outs returned to those players.
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Undercover enforcement: ACMA infiltrated the operation using a fake name to gather evidence, and the defence’s entrapment argument was dismissed by the court.
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Court description of the platform: Justice Rangiah stated that PPPFish Clubs and the PPPFish Website offered members of the public the opportunity to register as a user, buy chips and play online poker, indicating the services were designed for public access to real-money-style play.
Australia's Federal Court has ordered AU$24.24 million in penalties against the operators and promoters of three illegal online poker platforms — PPPfish, Shuffle Gaming, and Redraw Poker — in one of the country's largest-ever rulings against unlawful online gambling, according to iGaming Today. The ruling brings total penalties in the proceedings to AU$29.24 million, including an earlier AU$5 million fine against Diverse Link Pty Ltd.
Rhys Jones was ordered to pay AU$9 million and his company Brisbane Poker Pty Ltd was hit with AU$15 million, according to NEXT.io. A third party, Brenton Buttigieg, was fined AU$240,000 for aiding and abetting the operation. Jones and Buttigieg also face five-year restraining orders.
How the Illegal Poker Network Moved Real Money
The platforms let users register, buy virtual poker chips, and play online poker. Those chips could be bought and sold for real cash. Mediaweek reported that funds flowed through bank transfers into Jones's personal accounts or into Brisbane Poker, then got credited to players as chips. When players won, cash was paid back out to them.
Justice Rangiah described the scheme plainly: PPPFish Clubs and the PPPFish Website "offered members of the public the opportunity to register as a user, buy chips and play online poker," according to iGaming Today. The three platforms operated between October 2020 and March 2021. During that period, they generated an estimated net profit of about AU$4.2 million.
Undercover ACMA Sting Brought the Case to Court
Australia's communications watchdog, the ACMA, launched the investigation in 2022. Regulators went undercover, using a fake name to gather evidence from inside the platforms. The operators tried to argue entrapment, but the court dismissed that defence entirely, according to World Casino Directory.
The defendants are also required to cover ACMA's enforcement costs. ACMA chair Nerida O'Loughlin said the result sends a clear message. Online poker remains illegal in Australia, and the regulator will keep pursuing those who offer it, she said, as reported by Intergame Online.
AU$29M Total Penalties Signal Serious Enforcement Shift
The AU$29.24 million total is one of the stiffest penalties Australia has ever handed down in an online gambling case. The earlier AU$5 million fine against Diverse Link Pty Ltd was confirmed as part of the same proceedings, according to NEXT.io. Combined, the penalties cover multiple defendants across the same network of platforms.
iGaming Today noted that the size of the fines dwarfs the estimated AU$4.2 million profit the network actually made. That gap — more than seven times the profit — is a deliberate deterrent. O'Loughlin framed it as proof that the financial and legal risks of running illegal poker in Australia now far outweigh any potential gains.
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