Senate threat likely to delay passage of gambling advertising law changes

Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells will introduce changes to gambling advertising laws to parliament on Thursday, but finalisation of the legislation may be delayed until after at least August.

Wells is scheduled to put forward the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 for a first reading in the House of Representatives on Thursday morning, more than three years after the You Win Some, You Lose More report into online gambling advertising was released.

The Bill is expected to spark significant debate in both houses, and there is a strong possibility that the Coalition and the Greens will block its passage and seek more far-reaching amendments.

Significantly, Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson told media this week that her party was likely to push for a Senate inquiry into the legislation.

“While we are continuing to work through the details in good faith, it’s no surprise we have concerns about the government’s bill, which should be referred to a Senate inquiry,” she said.

Wells conceded she isn’t expecting speedy passage through the Bill when she puts it forward on Thursday.

“We’ll introduce it today, and like I said earlier this week, it is usually the case that these things go off to a Senate inquiry. It’s usually the case that members of the House of Reps will make amendments, and we would expect that to happen from today,” she told ABC Radio.

Wells said that there had been productive discussions with the Coalition on the Bill, but that would not guarantee their immediate support.

“We talked to the Coalition about this alongside the Greens, alongside the crossbench. Everybody’s received briefings on this, and like I said, we’ve been through an exposure draft process. This will now go off to a Senate inquiry,” she said.

“I think it’s due to report back on 17 August. So that process will now play out, as it usually does.”

This would mean delaying the passage of the legislation, and possibly the intended implementation date of January 1, 2027.

“We would like this implemented by 1 January, because we understand people have waited a long time. People care about this issue,” Wells said.

“Every delay to this, be it Senate inquiry, or be it any other shenanigans that might go on (puts that date at risk).”

A bloc of independents, led by David Pocock and Andrew Wilkie, have put forward their opposition to the Bill in its current form, while the Greens have also said they want a full advertising ban.

“If we sound like we’re all ganging up and beating on the PM, it’s because we are,” independent MP Andrew Wilkie told a press conference.

The Bill, as it stands, proposes a ban on wagering advertisements during live sports coverage, restricts radio gambling ads during school drop-off and pick-up times, and limits television betting advertisements to three per hour during daytime viewing.

It would also prohibit gambling branding on sporting uniforms and at sporting venues, while preventing athletes, celebrities and social media influencers from promoting wagering products.

It has been revealed this week that there will be no follower caps on the influencer side, meaning all influencers, no matter how large their audiences, will be prevented from promoting wagering products.

“One of the things we wanted to do with this package of reforms is address the influence of influencers in this space,” Wells said. “But at the heart of the package, which is really significant reform, is trying to remove the insidious effect of gambling advertising on children where they experience it incidentally.”

The reforms would extend to online platforms, placing strict obligations on social media services, streaming platforms, websites and apps.

However, there is a carve-out for racing content, publications and venues.

As well as the changes to the Interactive Gambling Act, Wells will also put forward the National Self-Exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Amendment Bill 2026, which is aimed at getting wagering companies to contribute a greater share to the operation of
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