Australia Advances National Gambling Ad Opt-Out Register

Australia’s federal government is moving forward with plans for a nationwide wagering advertising opt-out register that would allow consumers to stop receiving gambling advertisements across online services through a single platform.

The proposed system would be managed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and aims to replace the current approach, where users must adjust advertising settings separately on different streaming platforms, social networks and other digital services.

Communications Minister Anika Wells presented the register as part of a package of amendments to gambling advertising legislation already being considered by parliament. The proposal forms part of wider reforms developed during negotiations between Labor and the Coalition.

“It is expected that the government’s reforms will respond to these concerns by introducing new restrictions on inducement-based marketing and establishing the wagering advertising opt-out register, which will provide Australians with a one-stop shop to opt out of seeing wagering advertising on online platforms,” she said.

Labor and the Coalition negotiated around 15 amendments before presenting the changes to their respective party groups. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Angus Taylor took part in discussions as both sides worked toward passing the legislation before the parliamentary week ended.

Although Coalition support is expected, some Liberal MPs have argued that the measures do not go far enough.

Central System Designed To Simplify Advertising Controls

The proposed register follows criticism of the government’s earlier online gambling advertising framework. The original plan required platforms to apply a “triple lock” system before displaying wagering advertisements. Users would need to be logged in, confirmed as adults and provided with an option to disable gambling-related advertising.

Critics raised concerns that this approach placed too much responsibility on consumers by forcing them to manage separate settings across multiple online accounts. During a Senate inquiry, evidence showed that only 130,000 users of SBS’s approximately 15 million on-demand account holders had activated the platform’s gambling advertising opt-out option.

Under the revised model, consumers would provide account details, such as an email address connected to online services, through the central ACMA register.

The government has not yet confirmed the full technical structure of the database or whether it will be operating by January 1, 2027, when several other gambling advertising restrictions are scheduled to begin. Representatives from wagering and technology industries have also questioned how a central register would operate alongside the large number of digital platforms affected by the reforms.

Funding for the register would come from a levy paid by licensed interactive wagering operators. Because the measure involves collecting revenue, separate legislation will be required.

“This bill enables the ACMA to recover the costs of those activities through a levy imposed on licensed interactive wagering service providers. It is appropriate that the wagering industry, rather than taxpayers, bears the costs of regulating these activities,” Wells said.

The funding structure follows a similar approach used for BetStop, Australia’s national wagering self-exclusion register, which receives financial support from gambling operators according to their market share.

Broader Limits Proposed For Gambling Marketing

The legislative package includes additional restrictions covering wagering promotions and advertising practices.

Television broadcasters would face limits on gambling advertisements between 6am and 8.30pm, with live sports broadcasts restricted from showing wagering promotions except during scheduled breaks after 8.30pm.

Radio advertising would also face limitations during school drop-off and pick-up times. The proposed reforms would prevent celebrities and athletes from appearing in gambling advertisements and odds-related promotions aimed at sports audiences.

The government also plans restrictions on direct marketing involving wagering inducements. These changes follow evidence submitted during a Senate inquiry examining the impact of gambling promotions.

“The government has listened carefully to the evidence presented during the recent Senate inquiry and through ongoing stakeholder engagement. We are particularly concerned by evidence about wagering inducements and the role these practices can play in encouraging gambling and exacerbating gambling-related harm,” Wells told parliament.

The amendments would limit inducement-based advertising through direct communication and social media channels for certain customers. Cooling-off periods are also expected for newly created betting accounts and people who have recently withdrawn from BetStop.

The reforms would also address commission structures involving VIP account managers whose income depends on customer spending. Sportsbet and Tabcorp have already removed this type of arrangement.

Liberal MP Simon Kennedy said he would have preferred consumers to actively choose whether they wanted to receive gambling advertisements.

“In a perfect world, I think with an opt-in [advertising requirement] you could get out of all this regulatory complexity, but this is a much-improved system to what the Prime Minister has [previously] proposed,” he said.

Senate Members Call For Additional Gambling Measures

While the Senate inquiry recommended approving the government’s legislation, independent ACT Senator David Pocock and the Greens released separate reports arguing for stronger reforms.

“We heard from basically everyone other than the gambling companies who said this bill does not protect children, it doesn’t break the link between sport and gambling companies,” Pocock told the ABC.

Pocock supported measures from the 2023 You Win Some, You Lose More parliamentary report, including a staged ban on gambling advertising, an immediate prohibition on inducements and the creation of a national online gambling regulator.

He also supported extending live sports advertising restrictions until after 8.30pm and replacing the opt-out approach with a system where consumers would actively choose to receive gambling advertisements.

Greens communications spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young also called for a complete ban on online gambling advertising and supported the introduction of a national regulator. The Greens additionally backed separate legislation requiring wagering companies to surrender money received from customers when those funds were linked to criminal activity.

Source:

Australia Moves Ahead With Gambling Ad Opt-Out Register, news.worldcasinodirectory.com, August 18, 2026