Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Angus Taylor held two meetings in two days. Sources within the Coalition called the frequency unusual for a single bill. Talks centre on VIP inducements for high-rollers, protections for BetStop registry users after they opt back in, and online advertising rules.
The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 was tabled on 2 July and is scheduled to take effect 1 January 2027. It limits TV gambling ads to three per hour between 6:00 and 20:30, bans them during live sports broadcasts, and restricts online ads to verified adult users only. The Coalition is asking Labor to focus restrictions on VIP offers — access to private events, tickets to games, large bonuses — while leaving mass-market promotions such as $25 sign-ups untouched. The opposition also wants a cooling-off period so operators cannot send bonus offers immediately after a customer leaves the national BetStop self-exclusion register.
Streaming platforms would face a choice: either adopt a 'triple lock' requiring age verification with no opt-out, or follow the stricter TV rules. Discussions include a ban on tying VIP account managers' commissions to customer losses, though Sportsbet and Tabcorp say they have already stopped the practice. The push followed testimony from former NRL player Luke Bateman, who told a Senate inquiry he was offered flights, race-day tickets and, he claims, drugs. Sportsbet and TAB deny the drug allegations.
The bill in its current form lacks support from the Coalition, the Greens and the crossbench. Labor is working toward a deal with the Coalition before the session closes. Australia recorded $31.5 billion in gambling losses during the 2022–23 financial year, the highest per capita in the world.
