TLDR
- Australia’s Parliament passed the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 on August 19.
- The law creates a red-flag system requiring wagering companies to identify at-risk customers and stop sending them betting offers.
- A new opt-out register called Adstop lets Australians block online gambling ads.
- New rules ban bonus bets for the first 14 days after signup and ban staff commissions tied to customer betting activity.
- ACMA investigated 76 gambling sites and referred 187 websites for blocking between April and June 2026.
Australia has passed a new set of gambling reform laws designed to reduce harm from online betting. Parliament approved the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 on August 19.
The bill changes how wagering companies operate across several areas. These include advertising, bonus offers, staff pay, and protections for vulnerable customers.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority, known as ACMA, will oversee parts of the new system. The changes are part of a larger push to tighten federal rules on online betting.
New Red-Flag System for Customers
One of the biggest changes is a red-flag process for customers showing signs of gambling harm. Wagering companies must identify these customers and stop offering them further bonuses or incentives.
The exact rules for flagging a customer will be set later through regulation. ACMA will oversee the system, but betting companies will play a large role in deciding who gets flagged.
Some gambling-harm campaigners and lawmakers have raised concerns about this. They argue that betting companies should not have such a large role in identifying harm among their own customers.
Still, the law creates a formal duty to act once signs of harm appear. Companies that ignore red flags could face enforcement action.
Adstop and Tougher Rules on Bonus Offers
The reforms also create a new system called Adstop. This national register lets Australians opt out of receiving online gambling ads.
Adstop will work alongside BetStop, Australia’s existing self-exclusion register. BetStop already blocks registered users from opening or using betting accounts.
People who leave BetStop will get added protection too. Betting companies cannot offer them bonuses for three months after they exit the register.
New rules also limit bonus bets for brand new customers. Companies cannot market bonus offers directly to a customer during their first 14 days after signing up.
Anyone flagged as vulnerable under the new red-flag system also cannot receive these offers. Once a customer is flagged, the bonus offers must stop.
The law also targets how betting company staff and affiliates get paid. Commissions tied directly to how much a customer bets will now be banned.
This rule aims to remove the financial incentive for staff to push customers toward heavier betting. VIP managers and affiliates were previously able to earn more when customers spent more.
ACMA has continued cracking down on illegal gambling sites separately from these reforms. Between April and June 2026, the regulator investigated 76 gambling sites across 30 investigations.
Those investigations found 56 breaches of the Interactive Gambling Act. ACMA also referred 187 websites to internet providers for blocking during that period.
The new reforms add consumer protections on top of this ongoing enforcement work. They also build on earlier rules limiting how gambling ads can appear, especially around sports broadcasts and younger audiences.
