The Australian Senate Committee is currently reviewing two gambling reform bills for 2026. On one hand, the proposal restricts gambling promotions on television, in stadiums, and by celebrities, while on the other hand, it retains some online advertising for adults, thus receiving criticism from child protection organizations for being "insufficient" and from the broadcasting industry for being "overly burdensome".
The bill is expected to take effect in January 2027
The Interactive Gambling Amendment and the National Self-Exclusion Register Cost Recovery Amendment were submitted to Parliament on July 2, with public comments due by July 24, and the committee is expected to submit its conclusions on August 17. If passed, the main advertising rules will be implemented starting January 1, 2027.
Television time slots set to a three-ad limit
Free-to-air television will be allowed to broadcast a maximum of three gambling advertisements per hour from 6 AM to 8:30 PM, with no ads allowed during live sports events in that time slot. The proposal also prohibits promotions inside sports stadiums, on athletes' and officials' uniforms, and involvement of celebrities and internet influencers in marketing.
Radio and online channels treated separately
Radio stations will face gambling advertisement restrictions during school drop-off and pick-up times. Online advertisements can still be shown to logged-in users who are over 18, but consumers should have the option to refuse them. The rules emphasize identity verification and proactive choice as the main control points for digital channels.
Advocates believe children will still be exposed to advertisements
Children's media organizations and religious leaders point out that compliant advertisements may still appear before and during sports events. A 2023 parliamentary report suggested phasing out all online gambling advertisements within three years, limiting incentives, establishing a national regulatory body, and conducting public education.
Broadcasters concerned about revenue and technical costs
The media industry believes that strict restrictions will reduce the advertising revenue that supports free sports broadcasts and increase the technical complexity of implementing time-specific, program-specific, and cross-platform rules. Policymakers need to assess whether the loss of advertising revenue will shift to subscriptions, broadcasting rights, or other commercial arrangements.
Final rules need to address cross-platform consistency
As children switch between TV, short videos, sports apps, and social platforms, restricting a single channel can easily create loopholes. Effective enforcement also requires unified age verification, advertising archives, complaint handling, penalties for violations, and accountability requirements for foreign digital platforms.
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