Australia’s Labor government and opposition Coalition have agreed to establish a nationwide register allowing people to opt out of online gambling advertising, as the government seeks to pass its wagering reforms through parliament this week.
The proposed register would provide a “one-stop shop” for Australians to opt out of wagering advertisements across online platforms, removing the need to change advertising preferences on individual services.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) would establish and administer the register, which would be funded through a levy on licensed interactive wagering service providers, Communications Minister Anika Wells said.
“The government has listened carefully to the evidence presented during the recent Senate inquiry and through ongoing stakeholder engagement,” Wells told parliament.
The proposal represents a compromise between Labor’s existing opt-out model and calls from the Greens, independent lawmakers and some Coalition members for tougher measures, including an opt-in system or a complete ban on online gambling advertising.
Under Labor’s existing “triple lock” proposal, gambling advertisements on social media, streaming services and other online platforms would only be shown to users who are logged in and verified as being over 18, while adults would be given the option to opt out.
Critics have argued that requiring users to opt out separately on each platform would place too much responsibility on consumers. SBS told a Senate inquiry that only 130,000 of its 15 million on-demand account holders had opted out of gambling advertising.
Wells said the wagering industry, rather than taxpayers, should bear the cost of operating the proposed register.
The government is also proposing new restrictions on gambling inducements, including inducement-based direct marketing and social media advertising to certain customers. The changes would also restrict some commission-based referral arrangements and introduce a cooling-off period for inducements offered to new account holders and people who have recently self-excluded through BetStop.
“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 said.
The agreement has drawn strong criticism from independent Senator David Pocock, who said he would vote against the legislation and described the Labor-Coalition deal as a “betrayal of all Australians”.
Pocock said the amendments amounted to “tinkering” and fell well short of recommendations from the 2023 parliamentary inquiry led by late Labor lawmaker Peta Murphy, which called for a complete ban on wagering advertising and gambling inducements.
He said the legislation would not adequately protect children or “break the connection between sport and gambling”.
“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 ABC.
Pocock called for a full ban on online gambling advertising, an immediate ban on inducements and the creation of a national gambling regulator.
The Greens have also rejected the agreement, calling it “cowardly and careless” and demanding a complete ban on online gambling advertising, a national regulator and an end to inducements.
The Senate inquiry recommended that the bills be passed, but Pocock and the Greens issued dissenting reports. Pocock described the committee’s recommendation as “not surprising, but tragic”.
Wells has described the package as “the most significant reforms to online gambling in Australia’s history”, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the agreement represented “a result that will work”.
The Coalition has agreed to support the package, although some lawmakers have criticised the reforms for not going far enough. The legislation is expected to pass this week.
The proposed register could take up to 12 months to establish and may not be operational when broader wagering advertising restrictions take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. The government has yet to outline its final design, while industry groups have questioned the technical feasibility and cost of establishing a centralised system covering multiple online platforms.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/08/18/125923-australian-government-and-coalition-opposition-agree-to-gambling-ad-optout-register
