From 1 January 2027, television broadcasters in Australia are due to be limited to three betting ads an hour between 5 am and 8:30 pm, according to the Australian Government. The reform is often called a gambling ad ban, but the 2026 Act restricts betting ads rather than banning them outright. Parliament has passed it, but most of it does not apply yet. This guide gives general information and is not legal advice.
Gambling ad ban in Australia: what passed and when it starts
The law is the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026, listed on the Federal Register of Legislation as Act No 72, 2026. It received royal assent on 26 August 2026. Parliament passed it in August 2026, but sources differ on the exact day, so only the assent date is used here. The register shows the Act as in force. Individual measures start on their own dates.
The Department of Infrastructure says the reforms are due to begin from 1 January 2027, and that is the date most measures are tied to (Department of Infrastructure, as at 5 October 2026). Some reports give a later date for parts of the package. This guide therefore says ‘due to start’ rather than ‘in force’ for anything dated 2027. The full commencement table in the Act could not be checked, so no claim is made that every measure starts on that day.
The Act has several parts. According to its contents page, those cover restrictions on wagering advertising, disruption of illegal gambling services, changes to BetStop, online lottery products, inducements, a Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register and a statutory review. This guide deals with the advertising parts only. The wider picture is in the guide to what the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 licenses and what it bans.
The rules cover betting ads, not online casinos
The reform targets advertising for wagering, the official Australian term for licensed betting on sport and racing. It does not create a new rule for online casinos. Advertising a banned service is already prohibited. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) lists online casinos, in-play sports betting online and betting services without an Australian licence among the banned services, and says gambling providers must not advertise them (ACMA, as at 5 October 2026).
The two ideas are easy to mix up. A betting ad that follows the 2027 rules comes from a licensed provider. An online casino ad breaks the law today, whatever the hour. For the reasons behind that, see why online casinos and online pokies are banned services.
TV and radio: what applies now and what changes
Much of what is described as new for live sport already applies. The ACMA says that between 5 am and 8:30 pm there must be no gambling advertising or promotion of odds from five minutes before the scheduled start of play until five minutes after play, including during breaks (ACMA, as at 5 October 2026). The table sets that against the 2027 changes.
| Area | Applies now | Due from 1 January 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Live sport on TV | No ads from 5 minutes before play to 5 minutes after | No ads from 15 minutes before to 5 minutes after |
| Hours covered | 5 am to 8:30 pm | 5 am to 8:30 pm |
| Ads per hour on TV | No hourly limit appears in the live sport rules | No more than 3 ads an hour |
| Commercial radio | Live sport rules apply | No ads at school drop-off and pick-up times |
| Online live sport | Separate ACMA rules for streams | Ban during live coverage |
| Children's programs | ACMA restrictions apply | New restrictions in the Act |
The live sport row needs care. The ministerial release describes a ban on wagering advertising during live coverage on broadcast and online content services, starting 15 minutes before and ending five minutes after the event, between 5 am and 8:30 pm (Minister Wells media release, as at 5 October 2026). The change is the longer window before play and the move online. It is not a new ban on ads during the match.
The hourly limit is part of the 2027 package. The same release says wagering ads on TV are to be restricted to no more than three an hour between 5 am and 8:30 pm. For a viewer, the cap limits how often betting ads can appear in that window.
Radio gets its own rule. Wagering ads on the radio are to be banned during school drop-off and pick-up times. The release does not set out the exact hours, so none are given. The ACMA's current rules for children's programs sit alongside this, and the Act adds more (ACMA, as at 5 October 2026).
What the Act prohibits, and for whom, matters here. The duty falls on providers and broadcasters. A viewer does nothing wrong by watching, and no rule in this section asks anything of the viewer. Today's live sport rules also have limits. They exempt broadcasts of horse, harness and greyhound racing, and accidental and incidental references such as signage or players' uniforms. It is not yet clear whether the new regime keeps those exemptions.
Online platforms and social media
The 2 July 2026 announcement says wagering ads on online platforms are to be banned unless the person has a logged-in account, is over 18 and has the option to opt out of gambling advertising (Ministers for the Department of Social Services, 2 July 2026). Three conditions apply together.
Who must comply: the online platform that shows the ad. What you will see: a viewer who is not logged in should not be shown betting ads. A logged-in adult should be offered a way to turn them off. How that choice will look on each platform is not yet public.
The ministerial release also describes the live sport ban as covering online content services, so a betting ad around a streamed match is within scope of the same rule. Separate ACMA rules already apply to online content services that stream live sport (ACMA, as at 5 October 2026).
Athletes, celebrities, stadiums and uniforms
Three further measures were announced on 2 July 2026. They are a ban on athletes, celebrities or influencers promoting wagering, a ban on gambling ads in sports venues and a ban on them on players' and officials' uniforms (Ministers for the Department of Social Services, 2 July 2026). The Department of Infrastructure also lists a ban during live sports and in sports venues. These details come from the announcement, and the final wording may have changed in Parliament.
These rules bind the provider and the sporting body, not the fan in the stand.
The opt-out register for wagering ads
The Act creates a Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register. The Australian Government describes it as a one-stop shop for people to opt out across all their services (Minister Wells media release, as at 5 October 2026). The ACMA is to develop it, and the costs are to be recovered from wagering providers (Minister Wells media release, as at 5 October 2026).
The register does not exist yet and no start date has been confirmed. How a person will register, and whether it will cover email and SMS, has not been published in the sources used here.
It is not BetStop. BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register is a separate service that stops a person from betting with licensed providers. According to the ACMA, licensed providers must close a registered person's betting accounts and must not send them marketing messages (ACMA, as at 5 October 2026). The opt-out register is narrower. It concerns ads only and does not stop anyone from placing a bet.
Inducements and commissions
Inducements are offers such as bonus bets, credits or vouchers. The release says direct marketing of inducements is to be banned for 14 days after signing up with a wagering company, for three months after a person leaves BetStop and for all customers identified as at risk of gambling-related harm (Minister Wells media release, as at 5 October 2026). That is a limit on marketing. It does not say a provider can never offer a bonus.
Inducements were already restricted. The National Consumer Protection Framework says a provider cannot offer a credit, voucher, reward or other benefit as an incentive to open an account. New South Wales also penalises inducement advertisements aimed at people without an account.
The government also announced a ban on commissions to staff or affiliates based on customer activity.
Who enforces the rules
The ACMA administers the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. According to legal summaries of the new Act, the rules bind licensed providers, broadcasters and online platforms, with civil penalties set in penalty units. The summaries also describe new powers to order ads removed. The Australian Government says the reforms will be reviewed after three years, and the Act includes a statutory review part.
The ACMA also states that gambling providers must not advertise banned services. Penalty amounts in dollars depend on the value of a penalty unit, so none are given here.
Where to complain about an ad and where to get help
The right complaint depends on the ad. These steps work for most situations.
- Note the date, the channel and what the ad said, and keep a screenshot or recording if possible.
- For a TV or radio ad, start with the broadcaster. The ACMA says that to make a complaint about advertising during live sport, you contact the broadcaster.
- For an ad that is misleading or socially irresponsible, the ACMA explains the route through Ad Standards and the wagering code (ACMA, as at 5 October 2026).
- For an ad for a banned service, such as an online casino, or for online content, you can make a complaint to the ACMA.
Banned services cannot be licensed in Australia, so there is no licensing authority to complain to. The ACMA, which administers the Act, is the place to start.
Ads also reach people who never asked for them. If betting ads are making it harder for you or someone close to you, the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 offers free and confidential support, and Gambling Help Online has more options. There are tools for gambling more safely, and a related guide explains whether gambling winnings are taxed in Australia.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a gambling ad ban in Australia from 2027?
Not a total one. Betting ads are due to be banned during live sport, in sports venues and on uniforms, and capped at three an hour on TV. Elsewhere they face conditions. Ads for online casinos are already prohibited, because the services are banned.
When do the new gambling advertising rules start?
Most measures are due to start on 1 January 2027, according to the Department of Infrastructure. The Act received royal assent on 26 August 2026. Some measures have their own dates, and the full commencement table could not be checked, so not everything is confirmed for that day.
Can betting ads still be shown during live sport?
Not during live coverage between 5 am and 8:30 pm. The ban is due to run from 15 minutes before to five minutes after the event. Today's ACMA rules already block ads from five minutes before play to five minutes after on broadcast TV and radio.
Do the new rules apply to online casino ads?
The reform concerns wagering ads for licensed sports and racing betting. Online casinos are a banned service, and the ACMA says providers must not advertise banned services. That rule already applies and is separate from the 2027 changes.
What is the Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register?
It is a register the Act creates so people can opt out of wagering ads across all their services. The ACMA is to develop it. The register does not exist yet and no start date has been confirmed, so there is nothing to sign up to today.
Is the opt-out register the same as BetStop?
No. BetStop is the National Self-Exclusion Register and stops a person from betting with licensed providers. The opt-out register concerns advertising only. It is not designed to stop anyone from placing a bet, and it is not a replacement for self-exclusion.
Can betting companies still send bonus bet offers?
With limits. Direct marketing of inducements is due to be banned for 14 days after sign-up, for three months after a person leaves BetStop and for customers identified as at risk of gambling-related harm. Other situations are not covered by the sources used in this guide.
Who do you complain to about a gambling ad?
It depends on the ad. For TV and radio, start with the broadcaster. For misleading or irresponsible content, see the ACMA's page on Ad Standards. For banned services or online content, you can make a complaint to the ACMA.
Sources
All pages were checked on 5 October 2026. The Act's full text could not be opened, so section numbers and definitions are not cited.
- Federal Register of Legislation: Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026, accessed 5 October 2026
- Federal Register of Legislation: Interactive Gambling Act 2001, accessed 5 October 2026
- Department of Infrastructure: Gambling reforms 2026, accessed 5 October 2026
- Minister for Communications: Strongest ever gambling reforms passed, accessed 5 October 2026
- Minister for Communications: Gambling reform amendments, accessed 5 October 2026
- Ministers for the Department of Social Services: media release, 2 July 2026, accessed 5 October 2026
- ACMA: About the Interactive Gambling Act, accessed 5 October 2026
- ACMA: Gambling ads during live sport on broadcast TV and radio, accessed 5 October 2026
- ACMA: Gambling ads during live sport streamed over the internet, accessed 5 October 2026
- ACMA: Gambling ads during children's programs, accessed 5 October 2026
- ACMA: Misleading or socially irresponsible gambling ads, accessed 5 October 2026
- Gambling Help Online, accessed 5 October 2026
- ACMA: BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register, accessed 5 October 2026