Australia’s latest gambling advertising restrictions could widen the cost gap between licensed wagering companies and illegal offshore operators, according to PointsBet Group CEO Andrew Catterall.
Speaking at PointsBet’s Annual General Meeting, Catterall said the company supports gambling advertising reform while warning that the new requirements will make operating under Australia’s regulatory framework more complicated and expensive.
Parliament has passed the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 following pressure from anti-gambling campaigners. The legislation prohibits wagering advertisements during live sports coverage on broadcast and online services, in sports venues and on players’ and officials’ uniforms.
The reforms also prohibit athletes, celebrities and influencers from promoting wagering products. Television advertising will face a limit of three wagering advertisements per hour between 5am and 8.30pm.
Licensed operators face higher costs
Catterall said PointsBet had already taken steps to reduce its advertising exposure before the latest legislation. In 2025, the company voluntarily ended its major sponsorship arrangements with NRL clubs Manly Sea Eagles and Cronulla Sharks and substantially reduced its free-to-air television spending.
He said the company would wait for detailed government guidance before assessing the full impact of the reforms, while highlighting the financial implications for licensed operators.
Catterall said the additional burden could strengthen illegal offshore businesses because those operators do not face the same Australian requirements.
“What’s clear at this point is that the operating model for licensed Australian wagering operators post-reform will get even more complicated and more expensive,” Catterall noted.
“No one involved in the Gambling Advertising reform debate should want this to afford even more advantage to the illegal offshore operators who currently don’t follow any of the rules, don’t pay any Australian tax, don’t answer to any Australian authorities and represent a very real and growing risk to the protection of Australian consumers.”
Calls For Stronger Offshore Enforcement
PointsBet estimates that illegal offshore operators account for around 30% of Australia’s domestic wagering market and are growing faster than regulated businesses.
Catterall said PointsBet’s taxes and product fees equal around 50% of its revenue, creating a significant cost difference with operators that avoid Australian taxes and regulatory obligations.
He called for faster removal of offshore gambling advertising from digital platforms and said real-time takedowns should receive priority. He also urged authorities to examine payment providers and banks that facilitate transfers to offshore operators, alongside tougher restrictions on Australian-based influencers receiving commissions for promoting them.
“There’s a raft of things to get at there, and we really need a concerted effort,” Catterall said.
“As the Government turns its attention to the implementation detail, we hope to see them focus on ensuring the relevant agencies are fully equipped to exercise new powers to block out the illegal offshore market.”
The debate comes as Australia considers the effects of restrictive regulation in other industries. Annual tobacco tax increases introduced in 2013 helped push cigarette prices to more than three times their previous level over the following decade while also contributing to growth in an illicit tobacco market.
Source:
“PointsBet CEO: Australia operations will be ‘even more complicated and more expensive’ post-ad reforms”, egr.global, August 25, 2026
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