Australia Confirms Gambling Ad Crackdown
Australia’s federal government has published its response to the Murphy Report on online gambling harm, confirming a package of advertising restrictions while stopping short of the full gambling ad ban recommended by the parliamentary inquiry.
The response, reported by iGamingBusiness on 13 May 2026, follows the 2023 House of Representatives inquiry titled You win some, you lose more. That inquiry made 31 recommendations and called for a comprehensive ban on online gambling advertising to be phased in over three years.
New Restrictions From 2027
The reform package is expected to begin from 1 January 2027, subject to legislation. It includes a ban on wagering advertisements during live sport broadcasts on free-to-air television between 6am and 8.30pm, alongside a wider cap of no more than three gambling ads per hour during that same window.
Radio gambling adverts will also be banned during school drop-off and pick-up periods, between 8am and 9am and 3pm and 4pm. Online gambling advertising will be restricted unless users are logged in, over 18, and given the option to opt out of seeing such adverts.
The reforms will also prohibit gambling adverts in sports venues and on players’ and officials’ uniforms. The government has said celebrities, sports players and odds-style promotions targeting sports fans will also be banned.
No Blanket Ban
The package does not adopt the Murphy Report’s central recommendation for a comprehensive online gambling advertising ban. Instead, it takes a more targeted approach, limiting gambling promotion in live sport, online environments, radio and sports venues.
That difference is likely to remain the main point of debate. Public health campaigners had pushed for a complete break between gambling promotion and sport, arguing that advertising helps normalise betting among children and young people. Industry and media stakeholders have warned that a blanket ban could affect sports funding, broadcaster income and the legal regulated market.
For UK readers, the Australian decision is notable because it follows similar themes seen in British gambling policy debates: how far advertising restrictions should go, how sport should be treated, and whether harm prevention is best handled through targeted rules or wider bans.
ACMA Remains Lead Body
The Australian government has also decided not to create a new national gambling regulator. Instead, the Australian Communications and Media Authority will remain the main federal enforcement body.
The reform package also includes stronger action against illegal offshore operators. ACMA’s website-blocking regime is expected to be expanded, while banks will be given greater powers to block payments to illegal online gambling operators.
BetStop, Australia’s National Self-Exclusion Register, will also remain part of the consumer protection framework. The government has said it will continue work to strengthen the system, alongside expanded financial counselling support and public awareness activity around online gambling harm.
The final impact will depend on the legislation still to be introduced, how any exemptions are drafted and how ACMA applies the new rules once they come into force.
