The current proposals look to mandate users to sign in and confirm they are 18 on various streaming and social platforms.
The Australian Labor Party’s plans for advertising reform in Australia have been thrown into doubt after politicians questioned the effectiveness of plans to reduce the reach of gambling ads across social media.
Current proposals will mandate streaming and social media platforms, search engines and websites featuring wagering content to require users to sign in, confirm they are over 18 and allow them to opt out of seeing gambling content. However, these could now be derailed, having been branded ‘unworkable’.
This ‘triple lock’ is designed to prevent children from seeing gambling advertising and allow adults to opt out if they do not want to engage with the industry.
However, politicians have highlighted that in many cases adults and children share the same accounts on platforms such as Spotify and YouTube.
In addition, content such as podcasts often has baked-in advertisements, complicating the ability of platforms such as Apple Podcasts to prevent those who have opted out from hearing gambling advertising.
Independent MP Kate Chaney told The Guardian: “There is little real-world evidence to suggest an opt-out model will reduce the social, emotional and financial harms caused by gambling in Australia.
“Calling it a ‘triple-lock’ makes it sound much more protective than it actually is – most families share streaming accounts and unless parents painstakingly go through each platform, website and streaming service and manually find and activate the opt-out options, gambling ads will continue to be seen.”
Alongside the triple-lock, restrictions will apply to the number of gambling ads on TV per hour, and a ban will be imposed during live sports broadcasts and defined school drop-off and pick-up times.
Gambling advertising has been a long-running issue for Labor, as the party has faced pressure to enact reforms since the Murphy Report was released in 2023 following an inquiry into Australia’s online gambling market.
Upon announcement of the plans, Anika Wells, minister for communications, shared her belief that the reforms will “break the connection between wagering and sport” and reduce its saturation across the internet, radio and television.
Some of Australia’s largest sports podcasts, such as Bloke in a Bar and Hello Sports, have strong associations with betting brands, and independent senator David Pocock described this crossover as an example of the way the “predatory industry innovates and pivots quickly to target new mediums and markets”.
“Protecting Australians, especially children and young people, from gambling advertising on popular online platforms, from podcasts to Spotify to YouTube, seems almost unworkable under the current proposal,” said Pocock, who formerly captained the Australian rugby union team and has been an avid opponent of the gambling industry since his shift into politics.
“The government’s own analysis found that this partial ban is going to cost more to enforce and deliver less benefits to the nation.”
A report by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Office of Impact Analysis (IRO) has predicted the government’s plans, which will be implemented from 1 January 2027, will reduce Australia’s annual gambling spend by AU$62.7m per year, or 0.8%.
A spokesperson for Wells told The Guardian that more “specific definitions” will be released to avoid the loopholes as the legislation is developed ahead of its rollout in 2027.
This story was first published on Affiliate Leaders’ sister title, iGaming Expert.
