Government's changes to gambling ads pass Parliament

The Government's changes to gambling ads have passed both houses of Parliament, after Labor struck a deal with the Coalition to get it through.

It comes more than three years after a Labor-led inquiry recommended a complete ban on ads for online gambling.

The new laws include greater restrictions on how and when gambling companies can advertise, but stopped short of an outright ban.

In a TDA newsletter poll this week, 90% of more than 3,500 respondents said there should be no gambling ads on TV.

Background

In June 2023, a Parliamentary committee released the final report from its inquiry into the impacts of online gambling.

The committee was chaired by Labor MP Peta Murphy.

It recommended the Government completely ban ads for online gambling, create a new gambling warning label, and introduce identity verification for online gambling.

Murphy died in December 2023.

The Government responded to the inquiry in May 2026, noting its recommendations and deferring some responsibility to the states and territories.

Plans

During an address to the National Press Club in April, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the following changes to gambling ads:

Maximum of three ads on TV per hour from 6am–8.30pm.
No ads on the radio during school pick-up and drop-off.
No ads on TV during live sport events from 6am–8.30pm.
No celebrity or player endorsements of gambling platforms.
No ads on player and officials' uniforms, and at venues.
A limit on ads on online platforms, and over-18s can opt out of seeing them.

Response

The Government's plans were met with concerns from the Coalition, the Greens, the crossbench, and anti-gambling advocates.

Broadly, the response was that its changes didn't go far enough.

Alliance for Gambling Reform Lived Experience Advocate Mark Kempster told TDA the reforms are a “real slap in the face... to anyone who gave evidence at that inquiry.”

He called the legislation “insipid [and] weak,” and “disguised to support the gambling industry.”

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The Government needed other parties' support to pass its bill in the Senate.

Senate

In July, the bill went to the Senate, where senators agreed to send it to an inquiry led by their Environment and Communications Legislation Committee.

It heard evidence from gambling companies, reform advocates and industry parties.

Former NRL player Luke Bateman told the committee that gambling companies unofficially offered him illicit drugs while courting him as a “VIP” punter.

He said his gambling addiction cost him tens of thousands of dollars a month.

The committee ultimately recommended the bill pass, though the Greens and independent David Pocock disagreed.

Without the Greens or the crossbench, the Government needed to work with the Coalition to pass the bill.

Amendments

To secure the Coalition's support and pass the bill, the Government agreed to a series of additional amendments.

These included increasing the blackout period for gambling ads from five to 15 minutes before a sports broadcast.

Banning betting companies from paying staff commissions based on customer activity.

Banning direct marketing to customers at high risk of gambling harm.

Establishing an Opt-out Register, letting people flag they don't want to see gambling ads online, with companies required to make the option clear to customers.

Next steps

In the House of Reps, the Coalition mostly voted in line with the Government to pass the bill on Tuesday.

Liberal backbencher Andrew Wallace joined Pat Conaghan to cross the floor and vote against it, arguing the amendments didn't go far enough.

Wallace said gambling companies should not be in charge of identifying high-risk gamblers, comparing it to “putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank.”

The bill has now passed both houses.

It's expected to take effect from 1 January 2027, once the Governor-General signs off.