Parliament Passes Wagering Advertising Reform Bill: What Changes for Australian Punters
Federal Parliament passed the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 on 19 August 2026, together with two companion cost recovery levy bills. The package, introduced by Communications Minister Anika Wells and passed with Coalition support, places new limits on wagering advertising across television, radio and online, restricts inducements, changes BetStop and gives regulators more tools against illegal offshore operators. The reforms arrive more than three years after the 2023 parliamentary inquiry report You Win Some, You Lose More, which had recommended a full ban on gambling advertising phased in over three years. The bill stops short of that.
What changed
The government release lists the following advertising measures for licensed wagering providers:
- No wagering ads on broadcast and online services from 15 minutes before to 5 minutes after a live sporting event, between 5am and 8.30pm.
- A cap of three wagering ads per hour on television between 5am and 8.30pm.
- No wagering ads on radio during school drop-off and pick-up times.
- No promotion of sports odds during broadcasts.
- No wagering ads at sports venues or on players’ and officials’ uniforms.
- No use of athletes, celebrities or influencers to promote wagering.
- Online wagering ads only for people who are logged in to an account, are over 18 and can opt out of wagering advertising.
A new Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register will let people opt out of wagering advertising from all services through a single point. Racing-related media has an exemption, according to reporting by The Straight.
On inducements, direct marketing of bonus bets and similar offers is banned for 14 days after a customer opens an account with a wagering company, for three months after a person deregisters from BetStop, and for all customers identified as at risk of gambling harm.
The bill also bans online keno products, often called “pocket pokies”, and foreign-matched lotteries, and tightens the definition of trade promotion services. The two levy bills, the National Self-Exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2026 and the Interactive Gambling (Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2026, let the government recover the cost of the opt-out register, the inducement rules and BetStop promotion from gambling companies.
Illegal offshore gambling
Two measures target operators that are not licensed in Australia. Banks and payment systems will be able to block transactions to illegal gambling operators, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) receives powers to act faster when it orders internet providers to block illegal gambling websites. The ACMA already uses blocking orders under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001; its running total of blocked sites is covered on our ACMA blocked sites page.
What it means for Australian players
Most of the advertising rules apply to licensed Australian bookmakers, so the main visible change for punters will be fewer wagering ads during live sport and on free-to-air TV, and fewer bonus offers immediately after opening an account. The reforms are expected to start from 1 January 2027; the ACMA has confirmed that date for the ban on notable people in gambling ads.
For people who leave BetStop, the three-month inducement ban means wagering companies cannot immediately send promotional offers to bring them back. Customers flagged as at risk of harm should also stop receiving direct inducement marketing.
The payment-blocking measure is relevant to anyone who deposits at offshore casinos. Online casino games remain prohibited services under the Interactive Gambling Act, and once the payment rules operate, card and bank transfers to illegal operators may be declined. Players with funds held at such sites have no Australian regulator to complain to, which is one of the risks explained in our guide to offshore casinos.
Background
The 2023 inquiry, chaired by the late Peta Murphy MP, made 31 recommendations. The government’s package was introduced to Parliament in July 2026 and was referred to a Senate inquiry before passing. Minister Wells described the result as “a balanced, practical and enforceable package of gambling reforms”. Public health groups and some crossbench MPs criticised the bill for not adopting the full advertising ban.
The ACMA will monitor and enforce compliance with the new rules, and has listed the implementation of the advertising reforms among its compliance priorities for 2026–27.
The reforms are expected to commence from 1 January 2027. The ACMA has confirmed 1 January 2027 as the start date for the ban on notable people in gambling advertising.
No. It caps TV wagering ads at three per hour between 5am and 8.30pm, bans ads around live sport and limits online ads to logged-in adults who can opt out, but it does not introduce the full ban recommended by the 2023 inquiry.
No. Online casino games remain prohibited interactive gambling services under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. The bill adds payment blocking and faster website blocking aimed at illegal operators.
Sources
- Australian Labor Party: Strongest ever gambling reforms passed (19 August 2026)
- Minister for Communications media release (19 August 2026)
- The Straight: Done deal, wagering reforms pass through Parliament (20 August 2026)
- Department of Infrastructure: Gambling Reforms 2026
Header photo: Exterior of Parliament House, Canberra, 2022, 02 by Chris Olszewski, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.