SYDNEY – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced sweeping new restrictions on gambling promotions Thursday, marking what he described as the world’s most comprehensive betting reform initiative.
The Prime Minister characterized the upcoming changes as “the most significant reform on gambling that has ever been implemented” for a country that leads globally in both gambling participation and individual betting losses.
“The government is taking decisive action to tackle the community and public health concerns associated with gambling,” Albanese stated during the announcement.
Starting in 2027, the new regulations will specifically target protecting minors from what Albanese termed the “deluge of advertisements” currently reaching young people.
Under the updated framework, television gambling commercials will be limited to three per hour during the timeframe of 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with complete prohibition during live sporting events within those hours.
Radio gambling promotions will be forbidden during morning and afternoon school transportation periods, while digital advertisements will only reach logged-in users who have verified they are 18 or older and can choose to disable such content.
The legislation will completely eliminate celebrity and athlete participation in gambling marketing campaigns, while also removing betting company branding from sporting facilities and all team uniforms worn by players and referees.
Major international gambling corporations are expected to feel the impact, including London-based Flutter Entertainment PLC, which operates Australia’s leading betting application Sportsbet, and Entain PLC, which runs the third-largest platform Ladbrokes.
Market reactions were immediate, with Tabcorp Holdings, Australia’s second-largest gambling company, experiencing a 2.4% stock decline during afternoon trading, significantly outpacing the broader ASX200 index drop of 0.8%.
