BetStop Firm Dataworks Defends Director's Industry Ties
Dataworks, the company the Australian government pays to run its BetStop national self-exclusion register, has defended director Ian Penrose against conflict of interest concerns while it seeks cash to stay afloat amid mounting debt and a missed Australian Taxation Office bill, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, published September 18, 2026.
Penrose is simultaneously a senior independent director of Playtech, a 1.38 billion pound UK-based gambling technology company that sells software to online casino and wagering operators, and vice chairman of Weatherbys, a UK firm that supplies real-time horse racing data sports betting companies pay to access.
BetStop Bans Marketing to Registered Gamblers
BetStop, launched in 2023, lets people with gambling problems close all of their betting accounts automatically, and operators are required to block registered users from opening new accounts or receiving marketing. Dataworks has maintained the register since mid-2023 under a government contract.
Adam Glezer, who runs the advocacy business Consumer Champion, said he was alarmed to discover Penrose's dual board positions. "There are only three people on Dataworks' board of directors, and one of them also sits on the board of a company that profits when people keep gambling," he said. "That's not a minor interest, that's a third of the whole board."
Company Defends Director's Independence
A Dataworks spokesman defended Penrose's non-executive directorships in response to questions about the potential conflict, according to the newspaper's reporting, arguing his industry experience is valuable to the register's operation. Penrose has held both outside roles for close to five years.
Glezer rejected that defence. "If their excuse is that he's there for his industry knowledge, that doesn't wash. He's worn both hats for close to five years," he said.
Cash Pressure Adds to Scrutiny
The scrutiny comes as Dataworks urgently seeks funding to remain solvent, with mounting debt and a missed Australian Taxation Office bill reported alongside the governance concerns.
The company's financial position raises questions about the long-term stability of the register's operator even as it continues to run a service the government relies on to protect vulnerable gamblers.
Australians wanting to check their own gambling activity or find self-exclusion tools can start with the national BetStop register itself.
