Australia Gambling Advertising Ban 2027: What Changes

The Australia gambling advertising ban takes effect in 2027, after federal parliament passed the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 on 19 August. It became law on 26 August, and the main advertising limits, covering TV, radio and online, start on 1 January 2027.

The package does not ban gambling ads outright. Instead, it restricts when and where wagering ads can run, limits inducements and adds new tools against illegal operators.

What does the 2027 Australia gambling advertising ban change?

The centrepiece is a revised blackout on betting ads around live sport. Between 5am and 8.30pm, it runs from 15 minutes before a live game until five minutes after it, breaks included. According to Gaming Intelligence's report on the bill's passage, the rule covers both broadcast and online coverage.

It replaces earlier rules on gambling ads during live sport in Schedule 8 of the Broadcasting Services Act and the Broadcasting Services (Online Content Service Provider Rules) 2018, which the Act repeals.

Other advertising limits in the Act include:

• Each TV channel can show no more than three betting ads in any 60-minute period from 5am to 8.30pm (dedicated racing and wagering channels are exempt).
• Radio stations cannot air betting ads from 8am to 9am or 3pm to 4pm on school days (dedicated racing and wagering programmes and channels are exempt).
• Betting brands cannot appear on the kit of players and officials, or on signage at sports grounds (racing is excluded).
• A ban on athletes, celebrities and influencers promoting wagering.
• Online platforms, other than dedicated racing or wagering services, may show betting ads only to signed-in, age-confirmed adults who have been given a way to switch them off.

Under the Act's transitional provisions, uniform and venue sponsorships signed before the bill was introduced on 2 July 2026 can keep running until the end of 2031, as long as they are not extended or expanded.

How will the opt-out register and inducement limits work?

A new Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register will let people sign up once, and online services showing betting ads must then stop serving them to that person. Yogonet's summary of the bill says the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will oversee it, funded by a cost-recovery levy on the betting industry.

The register came from a deal between Labor and the Coalition announced on 17 August, two days before the final vote. ABC News reported it is not expected to be ready by 1 January.

Betting companies will also face new limits on inducement offers sent by message, phone call or social media ad:

• No inducement marketing for 14 days after a customer opens an account.
• No inducement marketing to people who left BetStop in the past 90 days, or after that until they expressly consent to receive it.
• No inducement marketing to customers identified as at risk, or for 90 days after they stop being at risk.

BetStop is the national self-exclusion register. These limits start later, on a date set by the minister.

What else is in the package?

Banks and other payment providers must stop payments to illegal gambling services where reasonably practicable, and the regulator gets faster powers to block illegal sites.

Online keno and foreign-matched lotteries will be banned. Communications Minister Anika Wells said the government is delivering "the strongest ever laws to tackle gambling harm".

Why do critics say the ban falls short?

In an analysis for The Conversation, Grattan Institute's Kate Griffiths noted that the 2023 Murphy inquiry recommended phasing in a ban on all gambling advertising over three years. The government did not adopt that approach.

Independent senator David Pocock and Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young both criticised the final deal, with the Greens pushing for a complete ban on online gambling ads and a national regulator. The Act requires a review of the new advertising, inducement and register rules, with public consultation, to start as soon as practicable three years after 1 January 2027.

From the industry side, PointsBet chief executive Andrew Catterall warned licensed operators could find it harder to compete with offshore companies that do not face the same licensing requirements. For wider context, see our earlier report on gambling advertising restrictions tightening worldwide.

What it means for players

From 1 January 2027, the daytime blackout on betting ads around live sport will run from 15 minutes before a game to five minutes after it, breaks included. After 8.30pm, the live-sport ban covers only the play itself, not breaks or the time before and after it.

Betting on sport remains legal for adults through licensed operators. Once the inducement rules start, on a later date, after 1 January 2027, that the minister will set, bookmakers cannot send inducement offers by message, phone or social media to accounts in their first 14 days, to people who left BetStop in the past 90 days (or later, unless they expressly consent) or to customers identified as at risk.

Self-exclusion and account tools already exist. Our guide on how to use self-exclusion tools explains the options, and our responsible gambling page lists where to find support.

Questions about the Australia gambling advertising ban 2027

When does the Australia gambling advertising ban start?

The main advertising restrictions apply from 1 January 2027. The opt-out register and the inducement limits will follow later.

Is Australia banning gambling ads completely?

No. The law restricts timing, placement and who can appear in ads, but wagering advertising remains legal outside those limits.

Can you still bet on sport in Australia?

Yes. Adults can still bet with licensed Australian operators. The reforms target advertising, inducements and illegal offshore sites rather than banning legal sports betting.

Source information checked on 13 September 2026. ACMA may publish further detail on the register and implementation before the rules take effect.