Australia's Gambling Ad Bill Has Finally Passed: What Changes Now?

The first major changes will come into effect on 1 January 2027, and they cover everything from sports and television to online advertising. The main changes include:

• Restrictions around live sport: Gambling ads will be restricted during live sporting coverage across TV, radio and online platforms.
• TV ad limits: Gambling advertisements will be limited to three ads per hour between 6 am and 8:30 pm.
• Radio restrictions: Gambling ads will face restrictions around school drop-off and pick-up times.
• Stricter online requirements: Platforms that show gambling ads will need users to be logged in, verified as 18 or older and given an option to opt out.
• No celebrity or influencer promotions: Licensed gambling operators will no longer be able to use athletes, celebrities or influencers to promote their services.
• Restrictions on promoting odds: Wagering advertisements will not be allowed to promote betting odds, with exceptions for dedicated betting and racing schedules.

The final version of the legislation contains an important concession that was not part of the earlier version of the proposal. Namely, existing gambling sponsorships involving sporting uniforms and venues will be allowed to continue until the end of 2031, giving clubs and gambling companies a five-year transition period before the ban fully takes effect in 2032.

The change means Australians will continue to see gambling brands on some sporting jerseys and around sporting venues for years after the advertising restrictions begin in January 2027. The government has argued that the transition is necessary to give sporting organisations time to adjust existing commercial arrangements, with some sponsorship contracts already extending for several years.

But the five-year window has already attracted criticism, particularly because the policy is intended to reduce the connection between gambling and professional sport. Senator David Pocock and others have argued that the newly introduced 2032 ‘loophole’ is ‘absurd’, and it means children will continue to be exposed to gambling logos on sporting uniforms well into the next decade.

So while 1 January 2027 marks the start of most of the new advertising rules, the final deadline for some of the big changes is 1 January 2032.

There is little doubt that the new legislation represents a significant step towards tighter gambling regulation in Australia; however, the final version also leaves several areas where betting operators will have room to adapt their marketing strategies.

The most obvious example is sport, where sponsorship agreements can continue until the end of 2031. That means one of the biggest reforms designed to break the connection between gambling and Australian sport will not be fully felt until 2032.

The online advertising rules also avoided a complete ban. Instead, platforms will have to meet new age-verification and opt-out requirements, while the government has created a central register for people who don’t want to receive wagering advertising. Critics have argued that this leaves a complicated system for platforms to enforce, while still giving the industry plenty of room to find new ways to reach customers.

There are similar questions around promotional offers and customer protection. The final reforms restrict some forms of targeted marketing and promotions aimed at potential players, but gambling companies themselves will still need to identify the ‘customers who may be at risk of gambling harm’ themselves.

Many have criticised this “self-policing” approach, arguing that it puts too much responsibility on the same companies that profit from their customers’ gambling activity to identify and restrict potentially harmful behaviour.