Labor and the Coalition have agreed to create an opt-out register that would let people block gambling marketing on online platforms, while also tightening limits on betting ads around sport and in stadiums. The package would sit alongside Australia’s existing wagering restrictions, but the way the new register will work has still not been fully set out.
Communications Minister Anika Wells described the register as a “one-stop shop” for Australians who do not want to see wagering advertising online. ABC News reported that people would be able to opt out by submitting details such as an email address and the platform where they hold an account, after which online platforms would have to stop showing gambling ads to anyone on the register.
The Sydney Morning Herald said the amendments were introduced on Tuesday in a compromise deal between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Angus Taylor. Under the deal, gambling ads would be limited to three per hour between 5am and 8.30pm, and they would be banned during live sport and in the 15 minutes before a game.
The package would also prohibit wagering marketing on player jerseys and in stadiums. It would bar gambling marketing for 14 days after a player signs up with a betting and gaming operator, and it would also ban marketing to customers identified as being at risk of gambling harm. ABC said the Australian Communications and Media Authority would build, administer and monitor the scheme, with betting companies funding it through a levy. ACMA already says there are strict rules for gambling ads on TV, radio and online, including during live sport.
Responsible Wagering Australia said the timetable would be difficult to meet. Kai Cantwell said the opt-out system was meant to be designed, developed and implemented in less than four months, while BetStop took more than four years from inception to implementation. He argued the changes would curb the ability to advertise a legal product safely to adults and could push people toward offshore operators with no consumer protections.
As covered in April, the government had already announced a broader gambling-reform package. A parliamentary committee later said 69% of Australians believe there are too many betting advertisements, that young people are more exposed online and on social media, and that 75% of young people in studies in Australia and the UK see gambling as a normal or common part of sport. The broader ad changes are expected to start on 1 July next year, although the register itself is not expected to be ready by then.
