The Australian government will introduce legislation on July 3 that prohibits gambling companies from paying influencers, podcasters, sports stars or other public figures to promote wagering content, part of a broader government crackdown on gambling advertising.
As reported by Australian ABC News, the bill bars gambling operators from entering sponsorship arrangements with “notable” individuals regardless of their platform or follower count. Communications and Sport Minister Anika Wells said the restriction applies uniformly across creators.
“It doesn’t matter how many followers they have or which platform they use; under this law, a gambling company cannot enter into an arrangement with an influencer to promote gambling to their followers,” Wells said.
The influencer sponsorship ban sits alongside restrictions on gambling ads in traditional media. The legislation limits television advertising to no more than three ads per hour between 6 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., restricts radio ads during school pickup and drop-off hours, and bans gambling promotions in stadiums and on player jerseys. Online ads targeting users under 18 would also be banned, and the bill requires social media platforms to build an opt-out mechanism for adult users.
Wells said the government’s primary concern is children’s incidental exposure to gambling advertising, though she also pointed to the broader reach of influencer-driven wagering promotion. “People are seeing too many ads, particularly during children and family programs and live sport events,” she said. “For Australians who don’t want to participate in gambling or see gambling ads, they have become inescapable and constant.”
The bill will proceed to an eight-week Senate inquiry. Several Labor MPs have said the measures do not go far enough. Macarthur MP Mike Freelander, co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Reducing Gambling Harm, called the bill “an important first step” but said, “there is much more that needs to be done.” Louise Miller-Frost, who chairs the parliamentary committee that previously recommended sweeping changes to gambling advertising, said she wants to see a federal regulator and a ban on gambling inducements added to the package.
The Coalition, Greens, and crossbench are pushing for additional amendments. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young called the bill “half-arsed” and demanded a parliamentary inquiry, while independent ACT senator David Pocock proposed a full ban on gambling ads across all platforms within three years, along with a ban on gambling inducements. The Coalition is separately debating whether an opt-in system for online gambling advertising would be more effective than the government’s proposed opt-out model for adults.
Wells said delays driven by calls for further inquiry risk stalling implementation of a policy that has been “very publicly and prolifically discussed for three years.” The legislation also includes a levy on wagering companies to fund an awareness campaign for BetStop, the national gambling self-exclusion register, which Wells said only one in three recent bettors know exists.
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
The Australian government will introduce legislation on July 3 that prohibits gambling companies from paying influencers, podcasters, sports stars or other public figures to promote wagering content, part of a broader government crackdown on gambling advertising.
As reported by Australian ABC News, the bill bars gambling operators from entering sponsorship arrangements with “notable” individuals regardless of their platform or follower count. Communications and Sport Minister Anika Wells said the restriction applies uniformly across creators.
“It doesn’t matter how many followers they have or which platform they use; under this law, a gambling company cannot enter into an arrangement with an influencer to promote gambling to their followers,” Wells said.
The influencer sponsorship ban sits alongside restrictions on gambling ads in traditional media. The legislation limits television advertising to no more than three ads per hour between 6 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., restricts radio ads during school pickup and drop-off hours, and bans gambling promotions in stadiums and on player jerseys. Online ads targeting users under 18 would also be banned, and the bill requires social media platforms to build an opt-out mechanism for adult users.
Wells said the government’s primary concern is children’s incidental exposure to gambling advertising, though she also pointed to the broader reach of influencer-driven wagering promotion. “People are seeing too many ads, particularly during children and family programs and live sport events,” she said. “For Australians who don’t want to participate in gambling or see gambling ads, they have become inescapable and constant.”
The bill will proceed to an eight-week Senate inquiry. Several Labor MPs have said the measures do not go far enough. Macarthur MP Mike Freelander, co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Reducing Gambling Harm, called the bill “an important first step” but said, “there is much more that needs to be done.” Louise Miller-Frost, who chairs the parliamentary committee that previously recommended sweeping changes to gambling advertising, said she wants to see a federal regulator and a ban on gambling inducements added to the package.
The Coalition, Greens, and crossbench are pushing for additional amendments. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young called the bill “half-arsed” and demanded a parliamentary inquiry, while independent ACT senator David Pocock proposed a full ban on gambling ads across all platforms within three years, along with a ban on gambling inducements. The Coalition is separately debating whether an opt-in system for online gambling advertising would be more effective than the government’s proposed opt-out model for adults.
Wells said delays driven by calls for further inquiry risk stalling implementation of a policy that has been “very publicly and prolifically discussed for three years.” The legislation also includes a levy on wagering companies to fund an awareness campaign for BetStop, the national gambling self-exclusion register, which Wells said only one in three recent bettors know exists.
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