The short answer

Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026: advertising bans, BetStop, online keno and offshore enforcement explained

The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 is a government bill introduced in the House of Representatives on 2 July 2026. It would amend the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 to restrict wagering advertising, expand the BetStop national self-exclusion register, ban online keno and foreign matched lotteries, and strengthen enforcement against illegal offshore gambling services. The House passed the bill with amendments on 18 August 2026, and the Senate passed it on 19 August 2026, when the second reading, Committee of the Whole stage and third reading were completed the same day; the bill finally passed both houses on 19 August 2026. The Senate returned the bill to the House without amendments or requests (message No. 151 of 19 August 2026, reported in the House on 20 August 2026). As of 21 August 2026 the bill had not received Royal Assent and was not yet an Act.

This is a federal system guide. State constitutions, parliaments and local-government laws can allocate comparable functions differently.

The useful question is not only “what is the rule?” but also “who administers it, which document controls it, and when might it change?” That distinction prevents an accurate general explanation from becoming wrong advice in a particular election, chamber or policy setting.

Evidence review

What the bill proposes

The bill contains five schedules that together form the most comprehensive federal gambling reform package of the 48th Parliament. Schedule 1 would restrict gambling advertising across broadcast, online and sporting venues. Schedule 2 would create enforcement tools against illegal offshore gambling services, including powers to block financial transactions and issue 24-hour takedown notices. Schedule 3 would strengthen the BetStop national self-exclusion register. Schedule 4 would ban online keno and foreign matched lotteries. Schedule 5 would target fake trade promotion lotteries.

The official summary on the Parliament bill page states that the bill, introduced with the National Self-exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Amendment Bill 2026, amends the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 to establish new restrictions on wagering advertising, including a ban on wagering advertising content during live coverage of sports; to expand the framework governing BetStop; to prohibit online keno and foreign matched lotteries; and to clarify the definition of trade promotion gambling services. It also amends the Australian Communications and Media Authority Act 2005 and the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 to impose obligations on financial institutions and online services to prevent payments and access to designated interactive gambling services.

The minister's second reading speech cited data showing up to eight gambling ads in a single hour on Australian television in 2024.

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Schedule 1: The advertising restrictions

Schedule 1 would establish a layered ban on gambling advertising. Wagering advertisements would be banned on broadcast television during live coverage of sporting events between 6 am and 8.30 pm, with a cap of three gambling ads per hour and the broadcasting of odds prohibited in that window. Radio advertising of gambling would be banned during school commute times. Online, gambling advertising would be banned on social media, news websites, streaming services, podcasts and search engines, with a limited exception for logged-in users verified as over 18 who can opt out. The bill would also ban gambling logos on sporting uniforms, signage at sporting venues and advertising during play at any time of day, and would ban celebrities, athletes and influencers from promotional deals with gambling companies.

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Schedule 2: Blocking illegal offshore gambling

Schedule 2 would give the Australian Communications and Media Authority new enforcement mechanisms against illegal offshore operators. Financial institutions would be obliged to block transfers from Australian bank accounts to accounts linked to illegal operators, with ACMA able to share information to facilitate blocking. Digital services including search engines and app stores would be obliged to block access and advertising for illegal services, and ACMA would be able to issue 24-hour takedown notices to digital platforms and influencers.

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Schedule 3: Strengthening BetStop

BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register launched in 2023, allows individuals to voluntarily exclude themselves from all licensed interactive wagering providers in a single step. The bill would extend BetStop's coverage from emails and text messages to apps and push notifications, and would allow the register to adapt to future marketing technologies. The amendments implement the legislative recommendations from the statutory review of BetStop's first two years.

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Schedule 4: Online keno and foreign matched lotteries

Online keno, described in the minister's second reading speech as 'pocket pokies' with a rapid-draw format enabling losses of up to $1,000 every three minutes, would be prohibited outright. Foreign matched lotteries — companies acting as intermediaries purchasing physical tickets in overseas lotteries for Australian customers — would also be banned.

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Schedule 5: Fake trade promotion lotteries

Schedule 5 would distinguish genuine trade promotion lotteries — competitions where entry is free and terms are transparent — from fake ones that require payment to enter, have opaque rules or misrepresent the prize. The government says such operations diverted more than $60 million from Australian charities in 2024. The minister cited a South Australian case in which a person believed they had won a $3.5 million property but could not access the prize because the operator lacked proper state licences.

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Current parliamentary status

The bill was introduced and read a first time in the House of Representatives on 2 July 2026, with the second reading moved the same day. The second reading debate resumed on 12 and 13 August 2026 under a programmed arrangement. On 18 August 2026 the House agreed to the second reading and proceeded to consideration in detail, with a series of divisions.

During consideration in detail on 18 August, amendments moved by the member for Ryan (Joanne Ryan, Lalor) and the member for Curtin (Kate Chaney) were negatived at 12:31 and 12:39, and further questions were negatived at 13:22, 16:32, 16:49, 17:00 and 17:26. At 17:33 the House agreed to the bill as amended, and at 17:44 the third reading was agreed by division, so the bill passed the House on 18 August 2026 with amendments.

In the Senate, the bill was introduced and read a first time on 19 August 2026, the second reading was moved and debated and agreed to on 19 August 2026, the Committee of the Whole debate occurred on 19 August 2026, and the third reading was agreed to on 19 August 2026. The bill finally passed both houses on 19 August 2026, according to the bill page progress.

Although Senate amendments were circulated, including by the Australian Greens (sheet 4009, Senator Hanson-Young), independents (sheets 4005 and 3973, Senators Pocock and Thorpe) and the Opposition and other senators, the Senate returned the bill to the House without amendments or requests. The bill has been removed from the Bills before Parliament list because it passed both houses; Royal Assent is the remaining step, and as of 21 August 2026 the bill page recorded no assent date.

Evidence review

Chamber record cross-check — 19 and 20 August 2026

Senate passage is recorded in the bill page progress: introduced and read a first time 19 August 2026, second reading agreed to 19 August 2026, Committee of the Whole debate 19 August 2026, third reading agreed to 19 August 2026, finally passed both Houses 19 August 2026.

Message No. 151 of 19 August 2026 from the Senate, reported in the House of Representatives on 20 August 2026, returned the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 without amendments or requests, as recorded in the House Live Minutes for 20 August 2026, alongside the National Self-exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Amendment Bill 2026 (message No. 152) and the Interactive Gambling (Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2026 (message No. 153).

Senate Dynamic Red for 19 August 2026 (record 3f521f81f95837b0) listed the bill among government business orders of the day with the second reading vote to be held immediately and a 9.00 pm guillotine arrangement, and recorded circulated second reading amendments on sheet 3973 (Senator Thorpe) and committee of the whole amendments on the Opposition's sheet 3971 and Senator Pocock's sheets. Those circulated amendments were not carried: the bill was returned without amendments.

Dynamic Red, House Live Minutes and the bill page progress are point-in-time official records; the settled record will be the Journals of the Senate, the Votes and Proceedings and the corrected Hansard. The bill passed both houses on 19 August 2026 but, as of 21 August 2026, had not received Royal Assent.

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Key evidence and uncertainties

The official bill page, the bill text and the explanatory memorandum are the primary sources for what the bill would do; the chamber records — House Live Minutes, the proof Hansard of 18 August 2026 and the bill page progress — document its passage through both houses.

The remaining step is Royal Assent, after which the bill would become an Act and its commencement arrangements, set out in the bill, would apply. Positions taken in debate are claims made by participants rather than established facts; division results are recorded in the official chamber records.

Common questions

Before you rely on the answer

Would this bill ban all gambling advertising?

No. The bill would impose significant restrictions rather than a total ban. Wagering ads would be banned during live sport between 6 am and 8.30 pm and capped at three per hour on television in that window. Online ads would be banned unless the user is over 18, logged in and able to opt out. Ads would remain permitted outside live sport broadcasts after 8.30 pm.

Has the bill passed Parliament?

Yes. The bill passed the House of Representatives with amendments on 18 August 2026 and passed the Senate on 19 August 2026, finally passing both houses that day. The Senate returned the bill without amendments or requests (message No. 151, reported in the House on 20 August 2026). As of 21 August 2026 it had not received Royal Assent and was not yet an Act.

What happened when the House considered the bill in detail on 18 August 2026?

The House agreed to the second reading, then considered the bill in detail with multiple divisions. Amendments moved by the member for Ryan (Joanne Ryan, Lalor) and the member for Curtin (Kate Chaney) were negatived at 12:31 and 12:39, and further questions were negatived at 13:22, 16:32, 16:49, 17:00 and 17:26. At 17:33 the House agreed to the bill as amended, and at 17:44 the third reading was agreed by division. The proof Hansard for the day is a draft record subject to correction.

What amendments are before the Senate for this bill?

None remain before the Senate. Amendments were circulated during the Senate stage, including second reading amendments on sheet 3973 by Senator Thorpe and committee of the whole amendments by the Opposition and Senator Pocock, but the bill was returned to the House without amendments or requests on 19 August 2026.

Source spine

Primary material used for this guide

Review trigger: Changed fields: source_presence, status. The bill passed both houses on 19 August 2026: the Senate agreed to the second reading, completed the Committee of the Whole stage and agreed to the third reading on 19 August 2026, and returned the bill without amendments (message No. 151, reported in the House 20 August 2026). The bill was removed from the Bills before Parliament list because it passed both houses. Review upon Royal Assent, upon commencement, or if the Interactive Gambling (Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2026 or the National Self-exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Amendment Bill 2026 status changes.

Archive note: This article reviews the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 as introduced on 2 July 2026 and updated after the bill passed both houses on 19 August 2026, based on the Parliament of Australia bill page, the explanatory memorandum, the proof Hansard of 18 August 2026 and the House Live Minutes for 20 August 2026, checked on 21 August 2026. The bill has been removed from the Bills before Parliament list because it passed both houses; it is no longer before the Parliament but had not received Royal Assent as of 21 August 2026. Dynamic Red and Live Minutes are point-in-time records; neither replaces the corrected Hansard, the Journals of the Senate or the canonical bill record. Gambling harm is a serious issue; this article describes the bill's provisions in neutral terms and does not provide gambling advice or recommendations.

Primary links are provided without affiliate or tracking parameters. Confirm that the source still applies to the bill, sitting date, jurisdiction or reporting period before relying on it.