Australian Labor Secures Coalition Deal on Gambling Ad Reforms as Entain Class Action Widens in Victoria

The Australian Labor government has secured opposition support to advance the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill this week, incorporating an opt-out register for online wagering ads. The package draws from 31 recommendations in the Murphy Report but stops short of implementing all of them. As reported by SBC News, the measures cap television ads at three per hour between 6am and 8:30pm, ban ads during live sports broadcasts in those hours, and prohibit radio ads during school commute times.

Anika Wells, Australia’s Communications Minister, stated that the opt-out register “will provide Australians with a one-stop shop to opt out of seeing wagering advertising on online platforms.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s administration rejected prior Murphy Report recommendations when tabling the reforms last April. Dissent persists, however. Independent Senator David Pocock called the bill a “betrayal of Australians” and pledged to vote against it.

Advertising Rules Face Continued Backbench Opposition

Labor holds a 94-seat majority and does not require the 41 Coalition votes to pass the bill. The deal nonetheless adds streaming service restrictions sought by the opposition. Critics from Coalition backbenches, rebellious Labor MPs, independents, and the Greens argue the reforms do not go far enough. The Murphy Report had 31 recommendations, and although Labor’s reforms do extend beyond advertising, it falls very short of the full 31.

Entain Confronts Automatic Enrollment in Victoria Class Action

Entain’s Australian operations via Ladbrokes AUS and Neds now face an expanded class action in the Supreme Court of Victoria. Users of the Fast Code system from 4 March 2019-4 March 2025 are automatically enrolled unless they opt out. The suit claims the system enabled prohibited online in-play sports betting under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, which limits such bets to racing only.

One plaintiff reported losses of $475. The filing records that Entain “denies the substance of the allegations.” Australia’s gambling market generated around AU$2.8bn (£1.4bn) in 2025, with Entain posting 13% H1 growth in the region. The case adds to existing probes by AUSTRAC and the Australian Communications and Media Authority over self-exclusion and other compliance issues. Studies cited by policymakers, including from the Australian Institute of Family Studies, indicate 15% of adults experience or are at risk of gambling harm.

Reporting: SBC News

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