The Australian federal government is planning to introduce legislation to rewrite gambling advertising rules before the end of the current parliamentary year. As per local media reports, Communications Minister Anika Wells (as depicted in featured image) has been in discussions with key stakeholders from the gambling, advertising, and media sectors to shape the upcoming proposals.
Advertising reform has been a central point of debate since a 2023 parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and its social impacts. The last investigations issued 31 recommendations, including a complete ban on online gambling advertising to be phased in over three years. It also called for the creation of a national gambling regulator to oversee licencing and compliance, a proposal aimed at consolidating the fragmented regulatory landscape across states and territories.
Capping of gambling ads likely
Draft proposals leaked last year indicated a less drastic approach, including capping gambling advertising on television at two ads per hour between 6 AM and 10 PM. The leaked proposals also suggested restricting gambling advertisements during prime time for children’s television and live sports broadcasts.
However, a complete ban on internet advertising currently seems unlikely because authorities are apparently worried that this would drive customers to grey or black market businesses. Despite persistent pressure from reformers and public health activists, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stated he is hesitant to enact a complete ban. The opposition and anti-gambling groups have argued that partial restrictions would not go far enough, calling instead for a phased but complete ban on gambling advertising.
Prior to this, in October 2024, the Australian Greens attempted to fast-track such a measure by tabling the Communications Legislation Amendment (Regional Broadcasting Continuity) Bill, which sought to implement a total ad ban. The bill was rejected in the Senate, but the party has vowed to reintroduce it in Parliament soon.
Regulatory changes roll on
Alongside the debate on advertising, the gambling sector is also facing a separate wave of regulatory changes focused on anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CTF). Updated AML/CTF rules, tabled in Parliament on 29 August 2024, are due to take effect from March 2026. The government says that new rules are to modernise Australia’s defences against financial crime and align local practices with international standards.
AUSTRAC, the country’s financial intelligence agency, has confirmed that gambling is among the industries facing stricter scrutiny under the reforms. The government has described the changes as long overdue, warning that delaying action would leave Australia’s AML/CTF framework increasingly ineffective and costly to maintain. Money laundering is estimated to represent up to 2.3 per cent of Australia’s GDP, making gambling a sector of particular concern.
The current 2007 framework will be partially replaced by the 2025 AML/CTF Rules, which will also provide gaming companies with more precise requirements. Stronger AML/CTF programs, improved risk assessments, more stringent customer due diligence, and more stringent reporting guidelines for suspicious or threshold transactions are a few of these.
Additionally, the reforms will ensure compliance with the “travel rule,” which mandates that payer and payee information be included with electronic transfers and payments for virtual assets. In order to maintain compliance, AUSTRAC has emphasised that all gaming operators providing designated services need to be enrolled or registered with the organisation.
