Australia has unveiled a new package of gambling advertising reforms that will start on January 1, 2027, but the plan has already drawn criticism from campaigners who say it stops well short of the full ban recommended by Parliament’s Murphy review. The government’s package caps TV gambling ads at three an hour between 6 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., bans them during live sport in those hours, restricts radio ads at school drop-off and pick-up times, and limits online ads to logged-in adults who can opt out.
The reforms also ban celebrities and sports stars from gambling ads and remove gambling branding from sports venues and from players’ and officials’ uniforms. The government says it will also tighten action against offshore operators and online keno-style products.
Ministers chose limits instead of the full Murphy model
The political problem is not just what the government announced, but what it left out. The 2023 parliamentary inquiry called for a phased national ban on all forms of online gambling advertising over three years, including tighter broadcast rules first and a full end point for online ads and sponsorship. That is not what Canberra has chosen.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the package the strongest gambling reform Australia has ever seen. But the new plan still allows some online advertising, and it gives platforms a role in deciding who sees it. That gap is why the criticism came so quickly.
Critics say the government moved late and aimed low
Tim Costello of the Alliance for Gambling Reform said the opt-out model puts the burden on parents instead of gambling companies and platforms. Critics have also pointed out that the reforms arrive nearly three years after the Murphy review called for tougher action.
So the government has acted, but not in the way reform advocates wanted. Australia will get tighter gambling ad rules from 2027. It just will not get the full ban that many campaigners thought was coming.
