Australia will implement a new Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register allowing individuals to opt out of receiving wagering advertising from online sportsbooks under changes to the country’s gambling ad laws set to be passed through parliament.
The register, one of a number of new measures to be inserted into Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act following months of discussions and a recent senate inquiry, will be paid for via a new levy to be imposed on wagering service providers.
Details of the proposed amendments were outlined in a new bill introduced to parliament on Monday, the Interactive Gambling (Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2026, which is seen as a compromise between the government – which earlier this year announced a raft of reforms to gambling advertising and promotion laws – and those calling for a total ban on such ads.
According to the new bill’s explanatory memorandum, New Part 7E proposed to be inserted into the IGA will provide for the establishment of the Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register, including arrangements for its administration, operation compliance and enforcement. Once operational, this “will provide a single mechanism through which individuals may opt out of receiving wagering advertising from online content service providers.”
Similarly, New Part 7D will introduce measures designed to reduce gambling-related harm by restricting inducement-based marketing, requiring licensed interactive wagering service providers to identify customers who may be at risk of gambling-related harm, prohibiting certain commission-based referral arrangements and imposing associated record-keeping and compliance obligations.
The bill also enables the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to recover costs incurred in administering, monitoring and enforcing New Part 7D and 7E.
“The gambling reform measures supported by this cost recovery framework are broadly directed towards reducing gambling-related harm,” the bill states.
“Gambling harm is a significant public health concern in Australia and can adversely affect a person’s financial wellbeing, relationships, physical and mental health, and participation in work and education.”
The recent Senate inquiry into the government’s proposed gambling advertising changes made headlines after a former NRL player accused online sportsbooks of providing VIP customers with drugs, escorts and alcohol at events attended by the companies’ senior executives.
The government’s previous Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 was tabled in early July and includes a proposal to restrict gambling advertising on TV to no more than three ads each hour between 6am and 8.30pm, with a complete ban during live sport broadcasts within those hours. It also calls for a ban on gambling ads through online platforms unless people have a logged in account, are over 18 and have the option to opt out of gambling advertising; and banning gambling ads on the radio during school drop-off and pick-up times.
The proposed reforms also ban the use of athletes, celebrities or influencers to promote wagering; ban the broadcasting of ads promoting sporting odds; ban gambling ads in sports venues and on players’ and officials’ uniforms; and crack down on illegal gambling operators by allowing banks and payment systems to block transactions while giving the ACMA more powers to act faster to block these websites.
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