Australia’s federal government is preparing to introduce a national register that would let consumers opt out of wagering advertising across online services through a single system, as Labor and the Coalition move toward an agreement on broader gambling reforms.
The proposed Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register would be administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). Instead of requiring users to change advertising preferences separately on individual streaming services, social networks and other online platforms, the register would provide one central mechanism for recording their decision.
Communications Minister Anika Wells outlined the proposal as part of a series of amendments to legislation already before parliament.
“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 discussed about 15 amendments before briefing their respective party groups. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Angus Taylor held several meetings during negotiations, with the government seeking to pass the package before the end of the parliamentary week.
The Coalition is expected to support the legislation, although some Liberal MPs have indicated that they consider the proposed restrictions insufficient.
Central Register Would Replace Multiple Opt-Out Requests
The register responds to criticism of the government’s original online advertising model. That proposal required a “triple lock” before platforms could serve gambling advertisements: users would need to be logged in, verified as adults and given an option to stop receiving wagering ads.
Critics argued that requiring consumers to find and use separate controls across multiple accounts created an unnecessary burden. Evidence presented during a Senate inquiry showed that only 130,000 of SBS’s roughly 15 million on-demand account holders had used its gambling advertising opt-out feature.
Under the revised approach, consumers could instead register account information, such as an email address associated with an online service, through the central ACMA system.
The government has not yet confirmed the technical details or whether the register will be operational by January 1, 2027, when several other gambling advertising restrictions are scheduled to begin. Wagering and technology industry representatives have also questioned how a central database would interact with the large number of online platforms covered by the reforms.
The government intends to fund the register through a levy on licensed interactive wagering companies. The measure requires separate legislation because the levy raises revenue.
“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 model has similarities to BetStop, Australia’s wagering self-exclusion register, which is already financed by gambling operators based broadly on their share of the market.
Advertising and Inducement Restrictions Expand
The reforms extend beyond the opt-out register. Television networks would be limited to three gambling advertisements per hour between 6am and 8.30pm. During live sport, wagering ads would be prohibited except in scheduled breaks after 8.30pm.
Radio gambling advertising would face restrictions during school drop-off and pick-up periods. The proposed rules would also prevent celebrities and athletes from appearing in gambling advertisements and odds-related promotions targeting sports audiences.
Labor has also expanded its approach to wagering inducements following evidence presented during the recent Senate inquiry.
“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 in introducing the new bill.
The amendments would restrict inducement-based direct marketing and social media advertising to certain customers. A cooling-off period is also expected to apply to newly created betting accounts and people who have recently removed themselves from BetStop.
Another measure would address commission arrangements involving VIP account managers whose earnings depend on customer spending. Sportsbet and Tabcorp have already ended that practice.
Liberal MP Simon Kennedy said he would have preferred a system requiring people to actively choose to receive gambling advertising.
“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 Critics Continue to Seek Stronger Rules
The Senate inquiry recommended passage of the government’s legislation, although independent ACT Senator David Pocock and the Greens issued dissenting reports calling for broader measures.
“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 recommendations from the 2023 You Win Some, You Lose More parliamentary report, including a phased ban on gambling advertising, an immediate prohibition on inducements and the creation of a national online gambling regulator. He also proposed extending restrictions around live sport until after 8.30pm and replacing the online opt-out model with an opt-in system.
Greens communications spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young also called for a complete online gambling advertising ban and a national regulator. The Greens additionally supported separate legislation requiring wagering companies to surrender funds received from customers when those funds came from criminal activity.