Australia’s Parliament has approved a major package of gambling reforms that will place new limits on wagering advertising and introduce additional safeguards for people vulnerable to gambling harm. The Albanese Government said the measures will provide stronger protection across the country, with particular attention to children and young people.
The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 will change how wagering companies can advertise across television, radio, online platforms and sporting environments. The legislation also strengthens controls around gambling inducements and gives authorities additional tools to target illegal operators.
New Limits Reshape Wagering Advertising
The legislation prohibits wagering advertising during live sporting coverage on broadcast and online content services between 5am and 8:30pm. The restriction begins 15 minutes before an event and continues until five minutes after it ends.
Wagering promotions will also be prohibited inside sports venues and on players’ and officials’ uniforms. Athletes, celebrities and influencers will be unable to promote wagering.
Television broadcasters will face a limit of three wagering advertisements per hour between 5am and 8:30pm. Radio wagering advertisements will also be prohibited during school drop-off and pick-up periods.
The reforms prohibit the promotion of sporting odds. Online platforms may carry wagering advertising only where users have logged-in accounts, are aged over 18 and can choose to opt out.
A new Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register will provide a central mechanism for people seeking to remove wagering advertising across their services.
The advertising restrictions are intended to reduce the frequency and reach of wagering promotions, particularly around sporting content and periods when children may encounter broadcast or online material.
BetStop And Inducement Rules Strengthened
The package includes further changes to BetStop, Australia’s National Self-Exclusion Register, following its statutory review. The reforms recognise its role in helping people exclude themselves from gambling.
The legislation also restricts direct marketing of inducements. Wagering companies will face a 14-day restriction after a customer signs up and a three-month restriction after someone deregisters from BetStop. The prohibition will also apply to customers identified as being at risk of gambling-related harm.
Banks and payment systems will gain the ability to block transactions involving illegal gambling operators. The Australian Communications and Media Authority will receive stronger powers to speed up action against illegal gambling websites.
Online keno “pocket pokies” and foreign-matched lotteries will also be banned. The legislation further addresses trade promotion services under the broader gambling reforms.
Parliament Approves Related Levy Legislation
Two additional bills passed alongside the main legislation. The National Self-Exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2026 and the Interactive Gambling (Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2026 establish mechanisms for recovering costs associated with the new advertising opt-out register, inducement restrictions and BetStop promotion from gambling companies.
The reforms follow amendments introduced earlier in the parliamentary process and form part of what the government described as the strongest gambling laws in Australia’s history.
The measures will affect wagering operators’ advertising practices while expanding protections around self-exclusion, inducements and access to illegal gambling services. They also create new compliance responsibilities for gambling companies and additional enforcement tools for authorities overseeing the sector.
Source:
“Strongest ever gambling reforms passed”, alp.org.au, August 19, 2026
The post Australia Passes Sweeping Online Gambling Advertising Rules first appeared on RealMoneyAction.com.