Australia’s gambling landscape is changing, and the latest reforms make clear that the conversation is no longer just about poker machines in pubs and clubs.
The Albanese Government’s Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 has passed Parliament, introducing new restrictions targeting wagering advertising, sports betting, betting apps and online gambling.
The changes will significantly limit wagering advertising around live sport, including bans during live sporting coverage between 5am and 8.30pm, restrictions on advertising in sporting venues and on player and official uniforms, and a ban on athletes, celebrities and influencers promoting wagering.
Television wagering advertising will be limited to three ads per hour, while radio advertising will be restricted during school drop-off and pick-up times. Online platforms will also face tighter rules, with wagering advertising restricted to logged-in users aged 18 and over who have the option to opt out.
The reforms also target gambling inducements, illegal online operators and products such as online keno “pocket pokies” and foreign-matched lotteries.
BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register, will also be strengthened, in recognition of the role it plays in protecting vulnerable Australians. Costs related to opting out will be passed to gambling companies.
Significantly, the reform package stops short of creating a new federal gambling regulator.
For pubs and clubs, the important point is the direction of travel.
Gambling is no longer simply about the machines sitting on a venue floor. Betting has moved onto smartphones, into sports broadcasts and directly into consumers’ hands through apps and online platforms.
These reforms reflect that evolution, with the regulatory focus increasingly turning to sports betting, digital wagering and the way gambling is marketed.
The message for the industry is clear: the future of gambling regulation will be shaped not just by where people gamble, but by how they access, experience and are marketed gambling products.
Minister for Communications, Anika Wells, said the laws were the strongest to date in tackling gambling harm.
“These laws deliver meaningful protections for Australians experiencing gambling-related harm, including relief from the bombardment of wagering advertisements in sport and strong restrictions on predatory inducements.
“We are also cracking down on illegal gambling operators and other dodgy services that divert business from genuine lotteries and charities.
“We have worked across Parliament to deliver a balanced, practical and enforceable package of gambling reforms – the most significant in Australia’s history.”
The reforms will come into effect on 1 January next year.
