Australian Parliament Advances Wagering Ad Opt-Out Register Backed by New Levy on Providers
TL;DR — Australia’s Interactive Gambling (Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2026 creates a Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register under new Part 7E and adds harm reduction rules in Part 7D, including customer risk identification and marketing curbs. Costs fall on wagering providers via a dedicated levy. It follows a Senate inquiry and July’s broader reform bill with specific ad limits like three per hour between 6am-8.30pm.
SCCG Take — The levy assigns compliance costs to operators while enabling ACMA enforcement, sharpening focus on at-risk customer detection without a total ad ban.
Australia will implement a Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register allowing individuals to stop receiving wagering advertising from online sportsbooks. The register forms part of amendments to the Interactive Gambling Act and will be funded through a new levy imposed on wagering service providers.
The Interactive Gambling (Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2026 was introduced to parliament on Monday. It is positioned as a compromise between the government’s earlier advertising reform package and demands for an outright ban on such promotions.
Register and Harm Reduction Provisions
New Part 7E to be inserted into the Interactive Gambling Act will establish the Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register. This includes arrangements for administration, operation, compliance and enforcement. It creates a single mechanism through which individuals may opt out of receiving wagering advertising from online content service providers.
New Part 7D introduces measures to reduce gambling-related harm. These encompass restricting inducement-based marketing, requiring licensed interactive wagering service providers to identify customers who may be at risk of gambling-related harm, prohibiting certain commission-based referral arrangements, and imposing record-keeping and compliance obligations.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) gains authority to recover costs for administering, monitoring and enforcing the new parts. “The gambling reform measures supported by this cost recovery framework are broadly directed towards reducing gambling-related harm,” the bill states. Gambling harm constitutes a significant public health concern that can affect financial wellbeing, relationships, physical and mental health, and participation in work and education.
Context of Recent Inquiry and Prior Legislation
The bill follows a Senate inquiry that featured testimony from a former NRL player accusing online sportsbooks of offering VIP customers drugs, escorts and alcohol at events with senior executives. The government’s prior Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026, tabled in early July, proposed limiting TV ads to no more than three each hour between 6am and 8.30pm with a full ban during live sport broadcasts in those hours. It further restricts online platform ads to logged-in users over 18 with opt-out options, bans radio ads during school drop-off and pick-up times, prohibits use of athletes, celebrities or influencers, bars promotion of sporting odds, eliminates venue and uniform ads, and strengthens actions against illegal operators.
These steps, as reported by Inside Asian Gaming, tie enforcement funding directly to the providers subject to the new rules.
Reporting: Inside Asian Gaming
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
Canberra chose self-regulation with teeth over prohibition, making operators pay for ACMA enforcement and harm-reduction infrastructure.
We've tracked Canberra's dance around ad reform for years. This levy model — operators fund the regulator, fund the opt-out register, fund harm detection — signals a sustainable middle path. It avoids the political firestorm of a total ban while weaponizing compliance budgets. Every national operator with Australian exposure needs cost models updated today.
- Levy on wagering providers funds ACMA enforcement of new opt-out register and harm-reduction rules
- Part 7D bans inducement marketing, requires at-risk customer ID, blocks commission-based referrals
- Follows Senate inquiry and July bill limiting TV ads to three per hour between 6am–8.30pm
SCCG angle: SCCG has partners across Australia's tier-one licensees and compliance tech providers. If you're budgeting for ACMA levies or need opt-out register integration, we connect you to the platforms and advisors already building for Part 7D and 7E — fast, credible, tested.
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