In August 2026, the Australian government announced late changes to interactive gambling legislation, adding a levy-funded Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register and new restrictions on inducement-based marketing. The amendments came just before a Senate committee report that criticised the wider package as inadequate. The central issue is whether these measures are enough to reduce gambling harm, or whether they leave the link between betting and sport intact and shift responsibility onto individuals, as critics argue.
What the amendments would do
The Interactive Gambling (Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2026 would create a national opt-out register for online wagering ads, similar to the Do Not Call register. Australians could sign up once rather than managing separate opt-outs on each streaming platform. A levy on licensed interactive wagering providers would pay for the register; the government said the wagering industry, not taxpayers, should cover these regulatory costs. The Australian Communications and Media Authority would run the register and enforce new rules on inducements. Communications Minister Anika Wells said the changes followed evidence from a Senate inquiry about how inducements can encourage gambling and worsen harm. According to News.com.au, the announcement followed revelations that illegal drugs, sex workers and alcohol had been offered to high roller gamblers.
Senate critics said the package fell short
A Senate committee report was tabled the same evening the amendments were announced. It included criticism from the coalition, the Greens and independent senator David Pocock. Pocock said the package was not "an evidence-led public health response" to a public health issue. He argued it keeps gambling advertising in sport and across media, puts the onus on parents, and retains major parts of a system that has made Australians the world's biggest per-capita gambling losers. The bill had been referred to the committee because of concerns it did not break the connection between betting and sport or shield children from exposure.
Inducements and affiliate commissions
The government added restrictions on inducements and limited commissions for affiliate agents in the hours before the report. The Greens had earlier said they would not support the bill in its previous form. Senator Sarah Hanson-Young called inducements "a toxic practice" that prey on those who can least afford to gamble and said they "must be outlawed". She also said gambling companies should not continue to make large profits from vulnerable people.
The opt-out register: a partial step
The register is an opt-in to ad blocking, meaning advertising remains the default for everyone who does not sign up. The committee report noted that many recommendations from the late Labor MP Peta Murphy's 2023 report, which contained more than 30 recommendations, were not included in the reforms. A total advertising ban was not part of the package. According to SBS News, the amendments were introduced only hours before the critical report, and critics described the package as too little, too late. An opt-out list places the burden on individuals rather than reducing the overall volume of gambling ads, especially during sport.
What happens next
The amendments are proposed changes, not yet enacted. They were expected to be debated the following day, and the reforms were likely to proceed quickly through both houses by the end of that sitting week. The coalition had not publicly committed to supporting the package. The coalition also said the government's response to the Murphy report, tabled on 12 May 2026, federal budget day, was "a cynical exercise in media management". The last-minute nature of the gambling amendments has intensified criticism that the package is reactive rather than a broad public health response.
