Proposed wagering advertising reforms: new restrictions for sport, media and online platforms in Australia
The Federal Government has unveiled a significant overhaul of Australia’s wagering advertising laws that, if enacted, would dramatically reduce the visibility of wagering advertising, including in Australian sport. Introduced into the Commonwealth Parliament on 2 July 2026, the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 (Bill) proposes reforms that would reshape the sponsorship, advertising and media landscape for sporting organisations, broadcasters, online platforms and wagering operators.
On 2 April 2026, the Australian Government announced reforms intended to ‘break the connection between wagering and sport, minimise the exposure of children to wagering advertising and reduce the saturation of wagering advertising across the internet, radio and television.’ [1] The reforms follow the 2023 House of Representatives Standing Committee report ‘ You win some, you lose more’ (Murphy Report), which recommended a comprehensive ban on online gambling advertising.
The Bill amends the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (Cth) (IGA) and makes consequential amendments to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (Cth). The main reforms will be implemented in phases over a three-year period and are expected to commence on 1 January 2027 subject to passage of the Bill.
Key reforms: wagering advertising restrictions
Schedule 1 of the Bill introduces a new Part 7C into the IGA, establishing comprehensive restrictions on wagering advertising across broadcasting, datacasting and online platforms.
Advertising during live sporting events
The Bill includes prohibitions on wagering advertising content during live coverage of sporting events across broadcasting, datacasting and online content services. During daytime hours (6:00 am to 8:30 pm), the prohibition applies from five minutes before the scheduled start of the event to five minutes after its conclusion, including scheduled and unscheduled breaks in play. [2] Overnight (8:30pm to 6:00am), the prohibition applies from the scheduled start to the conclusion of the event, but wagering advertising is permitted during scheduled and unscheduled breaks. [3]
Frequency cap on television
Beyond live sport coverage, the Bill introduces a frequency cap on television wagering advertising: no more than three instances of wagering advertising content may be broadcast in any 60-minute period between 6:00am and 8:30pm. [4]
Radio restrictions during school hours
The Bill bans wagering advertising on radio during school drop-off hours (8:00am to 9:00am) and pick-up hours (3:00pm to 4:00pm) on school days. [5]
Online content services
Online content service providers (including social media platforms and streaming services) [6] are prohibited from displaying wagering advertising content unless they take reasonable steps to:
- prevent ‘restricted users’ from accessing or receiving the content;
- ensure that individuals in Australia accessing or receiving the content are doing so using a registered account in relation to the service; and
- ensure that individuals in Australia with a registered account may opt out of accessing or receiving the content. [7]
Restricted users are persons in Australia who are under 18 years of age, have not confirmed their age, are not using a registered account, or have opted out of receiving wagering content. [8] Reasonable steps include having appropriate governance, control and risk management in place, ensuring the technology is appropriate and reliable, and having appropriate procedures for identifying and remediating problems that arise. [9]
The ‘reasonable steps’ exception does not apply to wagering advertising content displayed on online content services during live coverage of sporting events. [10]
Sporting uniforms and venues
In a significant change for professional sport, the Bill prohibits the display of wagering advertising content on uniforms worn by participants or officials in connection with a sporting event or a related activity, as well as on premises used in connection with a sporting event or a related activity. [11]
This prohibition is subject to a grandfathering provision: arrangements entered into before the Bill’s introduction date are exempt until 31 December 2031, provided those arrangements have not been varied in a way that extends their duration or increases the prominence of wagering advertising. [12]
Promotion by notable persons
The Bill introduces a new prohibition on the use of ‘notable persons’ to promote wagering services. [13] Notable persons are defined to include current and former professional sports players and athletes, celebrities, social media influencers, and prominent individuals. [14]
Promotion of odds
The Bill prohibits the promotion of odds in broadcasting services. [15] For these purposes, ‘promotion of odds’ means a distinct promotional reference that provides odds for a bet on the chance of any occurrence of a particular event or outcome within a game or event, or on the overall outcome of the game or event. [16]
Harmful or misleading material
The Bill introduces a general prohibition on wagering advertising content that is directed at or portrays children and families, associates wagering with alcohol, is misleading, fails to include a ‘responsible gambling’ message, or makes exaggerated claims about the likelihood of winning. [17]
Racing and dedicated channels exception
Horse, harness and greyhound racing are excluded from the definition of ‘sporting event’ for the purposes of these prohibitions. [18]
Illegal gambling services
Schedule 2 of the Bill establishes new mechanisms to disrupt illegal offshore gambling services. Financial institutions (authorised deposit-taking institutions and payment system participants) will be subject to positive obligations to block funds transfers to designated interactive gambling services. [19] Internet service providers, domain name system providers, app distribution service providers and internet search engine providers will similarly be required to block access to such services. [20] The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is also given new powers to issue removal notices for illegal gambling advertisements on online content services. [21]
BetStop enhancements
Schedule 3 of the Bill strengthens the National Self-Exclusion Register (BetStop) framework.
Key changes include the introduction of a seven-day cooling-off period for deregistration from the National Self-Exclusion Register, [22] a mandatory minimum three-month self-exclusion period for all registrants (including repeat registrants), [23] and a prohibition on licensed wagering service providers contacting BetStop registered individuals except for limited statutory purposes. [24]
Wagering service providers must close accounts of registered persons within seven days and promptly pay any credit balances. [25] Penalties across Part 7B are increased by over four times, and fault elements are removed, lowering the evidentiary burden for ACMA enforcement.
Online lottery products
Schedule 4 introduces a prohibition on online keno type lotteries and foreign matched lotteries and clarifies the definition of ‘trade promotion gambling services.’ [26]
Penalty framework
The Bill introduces a substantially enhanced penalty framework. Maximum civil penalties for contraventions of the advertising restrictions are AUD$364,000 for individuals and AUD$1,820,000 for bodies corporate (as at the date of this article). A new anti-avoidance provision carries a maximum penalty of AUD$2,730,000 (as at the date of this article). [27]
How the reforms differ from existing law
The Bill marks a significant shift away from the current regulatory framework for wagering advertising. At present, key restrictions on wagering advertising are largely contained in industry broadcasting codes of practice, Schedule 8 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 (Cth), and by the Broadcasting Services (Online Content Service Provider Rules) 2018 (Cth). The Bill changes this approach in several key respects.
The Bill inserts a comprehensive new regime directly into the IGA, replacing the existing co-regulatory framework with statutory prohibitions backed by significantly higher civil penalties. Consistent with this approach, Parts 2 to 6 of Schedule 8 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 will be repealed, as will the Online Content Service Provider Rules 2018 in their entirety. [28]
The scope of regulation is also expanded. In addition to traditional broadcasting and datacasting services, the new regime applies to online content services, including social media platforms and streaming services, and imposes positive obligations on financial institutions and digital infrastructure providers to block illegal gambling services.
The Bill introduces new categories of prohibition that have no equivalent under the current framework, including the ban on wagering advertising on sporting uniforms and at sporting venues, and the prohibition on notable persons promoting wagering services.
Further, the definition of ‘sporting event’ is broader than existing equivalents and explicitly includes electronic sports competitions. [29]
Implications for professional sports and media organisations
The Bill carries significant implications for professional sporting organisations, broadcasters, online platforms and wagering operators. Rights holders, leagues and clubs will need to assess existing sponsorship arrangements and future sponsorship inventory involving wagering, particularly given the prohibition on wagering advertising at sporting venues and on sporting uniforms. Athletes and other notable persons, including former players, will also be unable to participate in wagering related promotions.
Broadcasters will need to transition from the current co-regulatory framework to a regime of direct statutory obligations, requiring updates to advertising practices, internal compliance procedures and monitoring systems. Online content service providers, including social media platforms and streaming services, will face new obligations to restrict access to wagering advertising content by persons under 18 and users who have opted out, as well as requirements concerning account-based access and user controls.
Current status and next steps
The Bill has been introduced to Parliament but is not yet law. The Bill has been referred to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee for inquiry and report. The Committee's report is due by 17 August 2026.
If enacted in its current form, the prohibitions on wagering advertising content and other amendments in the Bill will commence on 1 January 2027. Implementation will then follow a phased approach over three years, with the first 12 months prioritising early reduction of exposure in high-risk settings, particularly for children and young people.
If you would like to discuss how these proposed reforms may affect your organisation, or for further guidance on the implications of the Bill, please contact Martin Ross or Mark Lebbon.
This article was prepared with the assistance of Eva Cotsell, Law Graduate
[1] The Hon Anika Wells MP, 2 April 2026, https://www.pm.gov.au/media/strong-action-tackle-gambling-harms.
[2] Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 ( Bill ), proposed s 62K.
[3] Bill, proposed s 62L.
[4] Bill, proposed s 62M.
[5] Bill, proposed s 62N.
[6] Bill, proposed s 10C.
[7] Bill, proposed s 62P, 62Q.
[8] Bill, proposed s 62H.
[9] Bill, proposed s 62P(3).
[10] Bill, proposed s 62R.
[11] Bill, proposed s 62V(a).
[12] Bill, proposed Schedule 5, s 4.
[13] Bill, proposed s 62W.
[14] Bill, proposed s 62F.
[15] Bill, proposed s 62X.
[16] Bill, proposed s 62G.
[17] Bill, proposed s 62Z.
[18] Bill, proposed s 10A(3).
[19] Bill, Schedule 2, proposed s 15J.
[20] Bill, proposed s 15AB.
[21] Bill, Schedule 2, proposed Division 5A of Part 7A.
[22] Bill, proposed s 61JKA.
[23] Bill, proposed s 61JK(2).
[24] Bill, proposed s 61GF, 61GG.
[25] Bill, proposed s 61MB.
[26] Bill, Schedule 4.
[27] Bill, proposed sch 1, s 62ZE.
[28] Bill, Schedule 1, item 5 (repealing Parts 2 to 6 of Schedule 8 to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992); Schedule 1, item 3 (repealing the Online Content Service Provider Rules 2018).
[29] Bill, proposed s 62F.
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