AdStop heads key wagering reform as bookies warn of offshore risk

Australia’s long-awaited gambling advertising law reforms have secured bipartisan support but Australia’s licensed wagering industry has warned the changes could unintentionally drive more gamblers towards illegal offshore betting operators.

Communications Minister Anika Wells and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the revised legislation amending the Interactive Gambling Act in Parliament on Tuesday.

Among the key amendments are an expansion of the gambling advertising blackout period before live sport from five minutes to 15 minutes, bringing forward broadcast restrictions from 6am to 5am, and extending existing live sport advertising restrictions to online streaming services.

The government has also moved to ban commissions tied to customer gambling activity for wagering company staff, agents and affiliates.

The reforms will also prohibit direct marketing of inducements to former BetStop users for 90 days after deregistration and impose stronger penalties on operators that fail to prominently display advertising opt-out options.

The legislation will also establish a national gambling advertising opt-out register, known as AdStop.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the package as “the most significant gambling advertising reform by any Australian government ever” and said it would “increase protections for people who are most at risk of gambling harm while continuing to allow those who enjoy a bet to do so.”

Albanese said the reforms were designed to focus on vulnerable Australians rather than impose blanket restrictions on all punters.

“It doesn’t preach to the community, but it meaningfully increases protections for those who most need it,” he said.

He added that the changes would reduce children’s exposure to gambling advertising, ban celebrity endorsements and odds-style advertisements, and prevent gambling sponsorship branding from appearing on sporting jerseys and in venues.

The legislation also includes tougher enforcement measures against illegal offshore gambling operators, giving the Australian Communications and Media Authority greater powers to require hosting providers to block access to illegal gambling websites.

There will be a statutory review of the laws after three years.

Parliament is expected to pass the laws on Thursday.

However, Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA), the peak body representing licensed online wagering operators bet365, Betfair, CrownBet, Picklebet, Sportsbet and Unibet, said amendments agreed between the Federal Government and Opposition would add significant complexity to new gambling reforms while doing little to curb Australians looking offshore for gambling options.

In a statement delivered on the same day as the full details came to light, RWA highlighted the growing threat posed by illegal offshore gambling websites.

It claims the market is growing at 2.5 times the rate of Australia’s legal wagering market.

RWA Chief Executive Kai Cantwell said the industry had participated constructively throughout the Senate inquiry and legislative process and had supported measures aimed at protecting children and assisting people experiencing gambling harm.

However, he argued the latest amendments extended well beyond those objectives.

“These measures will significantly curtail our ability to advertise a legal product safely to adults,” Cantwell said.

Under the proposed changes, Australian operators would also face tighter restrictions on advertising and customer promotions.

Cantwell questioned whether the proposed register could be successfully designed and implemented within the proposed timeframe.

“This new global opt-out system, akin to BetStop, is proposed to be designed, developed and implemented in less than four months,” he said.

“BetStop, which is a simpler concept, took more than four years from inception to implementation.”

RWA said offshore operators would not be subject to the new restrictions and would remain outside the reach of Australian advertising controls and harm-minimisation measures.

Cantwell said limiting the ability of licensed operators to compete could have unintended consequences for consumers.

“If you push people away from the licensed, regulated market, you don’t stop them punting,” he said.

“You push them offshore, into products with no consumer protections, no support, no BetStop, and no contribution to Australian sport and racing.”