Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has addressed growing calls for a nationwide ban on gambling advertising but stopped short of committing to the measure, stressing that his Government would not “make policy on the run.”
Speaking this week, Albanese highlighted that the country already has initiatives in place to tackle gambling harm, including BetStop national self-exclusion register. He described the program as “successful in stopping problem gambling” and pointed to restrictions on the use of credit cards for online betting as further progress.
The Prime Minister drew a distinction between recreational wagering and harmful behaviour, noting that the issue is not with “people having a punt on the horses on Saturday” but with the number of Australians struggling with problem gambling. He also stressed that poker machines remain the largest source of gambling-related harm in the country.
Albanese also raised concerns about the unintended consequences of a blanket advertising ban, warning that “the practicalities of whether people just go offshore, then there’s no revenue at all and it doesn’t solve the problem” must be considered. “The technological complexity and global nature of gambling platforms require careful policymaking,” Albanese added.
A history of crackdowns and compliance
His comments follow Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) continued crack down on illegal gambling operators. As part of the crackdown, ACMA has blocked hundreds of unlicensed offshore sites. Officials have also sounded the alarm over crypto scams and underground cash networks linked to gambling.
Last month, Australia’s communications regulator defended its decision to block access to cryptocurrency-based prediction market Polymarket, saying the service breached long-standing gambling laws by offering prohibited and unlicensed betting to Australians. The regulator confirmed to SiGMA News that it had investigated the service and referred it for blocking in August, after finding it was in contravention of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 (IGA).
Stepping up its campaign against illegal gambling, ACMA has ordered internet service providers (ISPs) to block a fresh round of websites found to be operating unlawfully. In April, ACMA announced that it blocked websites Megabet Prize, Mega Medusa, and TF2Royal. Furthermore, the body has requested blocks on several new platforms, including Casino Australia Online and Pokies.bet, Pokiesman, and Smart Pokies. The move followed investigations revealing that these services were in breach of the country’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
Crackdowns for Spam Act violations
In July, Betfair, one of Australia’s most prominent online betting operators, found itself in hot water after reportedly breaching the country’s stringent spam laws. ACMA slapped Betfair with an AU$871,660 ($567,082) penalty for sending 148 unsolicited emails and texts to customers, some of whom had explicitly opted out of receiving such messages. The operator has reportedly paid up the fine. Under Australia’s Spam Act 2003, businesses must obtain valid consent before sending marketing emails or messages.
The ACMA has intensified enforcement of the Spam Act 2003, issuing multi‑million‑dollar penalties against numerous high‑profile businesses. In the past 18 months alone, ACMA has issued over AU$16.6 million in penalties for breaches of spam laws.
In June 2025, Tabcorp, another major Australian gambling operator, was fined AU$4 million for similar infractions at a larger scale. The operator sent 5,715 promotional messages via SMS and WhatsApp to VIP customers between February and May 2024. Of these, 2,598 lacked unsubscribe options, 3,148 failed to identify the sender, and 11 were sent without valid consent. This marked the first enforcement action against a VIP gambling programme by ACMA.
Earlier in May 2025, PointsBet Australia was penalised AU$500,800 for sending marketing emails and texts without consent, omitting sender information and unsubscribe links. The company also contacted individuals who had self-excluded from gambling, breaching both spam and self-exclusion laws.
