Australia To Fund Gambling Ad Opt-Out Register Via Industry Levy
Communications Minister Anika Wells introduced legislation to parliament on August 17, 2026 that would let Australia's media regulator recover the cost of running a new gambling advertising opt-out register from the wagering industry rather than taxpayers.
The Interactive Gambling Act Cost Recovery Levy Bill would allow the Australian Communications and Media Authority, ACMA, to charge licensed interactive wagering service providers a levy covering the cost of administering, operating and enforcing the register and related reforms.
"This Bill ensures that the costs of administering, operating and enforcing those reforms, should they be needed, can be recovered from the wagering industry," Wells told parliament, according to comments reported by industry outlet The Straight.
"It is appropriate that the wagering industry, rather than the taxpayers, bears the costs of regulating these activities." - Anika Wells
The register itself, described by Wells as a "one-stop shop" for consumers, would let Australians opt out of seeing wagering advertising across online platforms in a single step rather than adjusting settings separately on each service. ACMA would establish and administer the register as well as oversee compliance.
Part Of A Wider Advertising Crackdown
The register builds on reforms the government first set out in an official media release on April 2, 2026, when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, then-Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek and Wells announced a package to restrict gambling advertising and tighten rules on operators.
That package caps free-to-air television gambling ads at three per hour between 6am and 8.30pm with a total ban during live sport broadcasts in that window, bans gambling ads on radio during school pick-up and drop-off hours, and prohibits gambling ads through online platforms unless viewers are logged in, verified as over 18 and given the option to opt out.
"The Government is taking decisive action to tackle the community and public health concerns associated with gambling," Albanese said at the time.
"We're getting the balance right here, letting adults have a punt if they want to but also making sure Australian children don't see betting ads everywhere they look."
The original package also targets the use of celebrities and sports players in gambling ads, odds-style advertising aimed at sports fans, and gambling branding in sports venues and on player and official uniforms. The government said reforms were due to begin from January 1, 2027, subject to legislation passing.
Casino Games Hub
A Deal With The Coalition
Introducing the levy bill this week was part of a wider agreement between the governing Labor party and the opposition Liberal-National Coalition to secure passage of the broader gambling advertising reforms through parliament.
The compromise register format was put forward as an alternative to an earlier proposal that would have required platforms to build opt-out functionality individually, an approach the Coalition and Greens had criticised as too onerous for consumers to navigate across multiple accounts.
The government has not yet released technical detail on how the register will verify a consumer's identity across different platforms, and it is not guaranteed to be operating by January 1, 2027 alongside the other advertising restrictions.
The levy bill still needs to pass the House of Representatives as a standalone measure, while the register and related amendments are due to be moved as changes to the existing Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 later this week.
Confirmation of the register's technical design, and whether it can meet the January 2027 start date for the wider reforms, are the details operators and consumers alike will be watching for next.
