Australia introduces a new opt-out registry for gambling advertising

• Australia settles for compromise with new gambling advertising registry
• The new registry will be paid for through a new sports wagering levy on licensed operators
• The bill that introduces the Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register is also introducing new rules around betting inducements

Several years after Australia ushered in a unified, national self-exclusion program, the country is now moving forward with a second similar initiative - the Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register, which is meant to allow individuals to exclude themselves from receiving wagering advertisements from online sportsbooks.

The same bill also introduces new restrictions on betting inducements from wagering operators.

Australia reaches for compromise with new gambling advertising registry

The proposal is yet to be passed through parliament, and is yet to be ratified and enacted. The Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register is part of a comprehensive effort led by the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to strengthen the Interactive Gambling Act and offer further protections to consumers.

Calls for the complete ban on gambling advertising can still be heard, however, with Interactive Gambling (Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2026 introduced on Monday attempting to balance between those calling for a more moderate approach, and those who see any compromise as a step back. The bill states:

"The gambling reform measures supported by this cost recovery framework are broadly directed towards reducing gambling-related harm. 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."

Lawmakers call on wagering providers to protect at-risk consumers

Lawmakers hope that the registry would serve as a single mechanism through which players may opt out of receiving advertising, and thus improve the overall protection. The bill also targets inducement-based marketing, and will put the onus on operators to identify at-risk customers and prohibit certain "commission-based referral arrangements."

One other change is that the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will no longer just enforce rules, but also be able to recover costs associated with those enforcement efforts.

The new measures will be paid for by licensed operators, with sports wagering providers subject to a new levy that will fund the registry.

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