Australia's parliament has passed the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026, a package of restrictions on gambling advertising nationwide. The rules take effect on 1 January 2027.
Betting ads are barred from live sport broadcasts on television and online platforms, from 15 minutes before a match starts to 5 minutes after it ends, inside the 5:00 to 20:30 window. Television is limited to three spots an hour in that window. Radio carries no betting advertising during school drop-off and pick-up hours. Odds cannot be shown during matches. Stadiums and the kit of players and officials are off limits. Athletes, celebrities and influencers may not promote betting products. Online advertising stays open only to logged-in users over 18, with an opt-out.
A centralised Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register, run by the ACMA, will let a user switch off betting advertising across every platform in one action instead of unsubscribing from each service. The industry funds the register through a levy.
Banks and payment systems gain the right to block transactions to illegal operators, and the ACMA's powers to block illegal sites expand. Online keno and foreign lotteries are banned. Bonus direct marketing is prohibited for 14 days after registration, for three months after leaving the BetStop self-exclusion programme, and permanently for at-risk players. Communications Minister Anika Wells called the reform the largest in the country's history.
