Australia is moving closer to a new nationwide framework for gambling advertising after the Labor government secured Coalition backing for its reform package, although the compromise continues to face resistance from MPs, independents and gambling-harm advocates.
The agreement gives Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government a clearer path for its Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill, which seeks to tighten wagering advertising rules across television, radio, sport and digital platforms.
The legislation follows years of debate triggered by the 2023 parliamentary inquiry led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy. That inquiry recommended a phased prohibition on online gambling advertising and sponsorship, ultimately leading to a comprehensive ban. The government has instead adopted a more limited model.
Labor and Coalition settle on revised advertising rules
Under Labor’s proposal, broadcasters would be limited to three gambling advertisements per hour during restricted daytime and evening periods, while wagering promotions would be prohibited during live sport within those hours. Radio advertising would also face restrictions around school drop-off and pick-up times.
A key addition agreed with the Coalition is a national service allowing consumers to opt out of receiving online wagering advertising. The register is intended to provide Australians with a single mechanism for reducing their exposure to betting promotions across digital platforms. The Coalition also pushed for streaming services to be brought within the advertising restrictions.
The deal also adjusts the start of the three-advertisements-per-hour limit to 5am and provides for the new framework to be reviewed after three years.
Despite the agreement between the major parties, the reforms remain significantly less restrictive than the Murphy inquiry’s recommendation. Its 2023 report proposed gradually removing online gambling advertising from social media, live sport, stadiums, player uniforms and most broadcasting before implementing a full advertising and sponsorship ban.
Several Coalition parliamentarians have opposed the compromise, while independent Senator David Pocock and the Greens have argued that the legislation does not adequately address gambling harm. Critics have also pushed for stronger restrictions on inducements and other incentives offered to bettors.
The reform debate comes as gambling advertising remains a major public concern. The parliamentary inquiry cited Australian Gambling Research Centre findings showing that 69% of Australians believed there were too many betting advertisements.
Entain class action adds pressure on wagering sector
At the same time, Entain’s Australian business is facing a separate legal challenge involving its Ladbrokes and Neds brands.
A class action filed in the Supreme Court of Victoria covers customers who placed bets using Entain’s Fast Code service between 4 March 2019 and 4 March 2025 and claim they suffered losses or damage.
The plaintiffs allege that Fast Code effectively enabled online in-play sports betting in breach of Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act. Customers could prepare a wager through a Ladbrokes or Neds website or app, receive a code and then communicate that code during a telephone call to complete the bet.
Australian law generally prohibits online in-play wagering on sporting events, although live bets can be accepted when the service is provided wholly by telephone. The class action argues that because wagering information was first entered digitally before the telephone call, Fast Code did not qualify for that exemption.
The plaintiffs are also alleging misleading or deceptive conduct and breaches of the service’s terms and conditions. Entain denies the substance of the allegations. A trial is currently scheduled to begin on 19 July 2027 and is expected to run for around four weeks.
Australia’s communications regulator has previously examined Fast and Quick Code systems used by several wagering operators. The Australian Communications and Media Authority found that certain versions transmitted information about a customer’s live bet digitally before the required telephone call. Operators subsequently modified their systems, after which ACMA decided not to take enforcement action at that stage.
The legal dispute comes as Australia remains an important growth market for Entain. The company reported a 13% year-on-year increase in Australian online net gaming revenue on a constant-currency basis during the first half of 2026, saying changes to its local operations and improvements to the Ladbrokes and Neds products were helping it gain market share.
With parliament tightening the rules governing betting promotion and major operators facing closer scrutiny of their products and practices, Australia’s wagering industry is entering a period of substantial regulatory and legal change.