The Coalition has secured sensible amendments to Labor’s gambling reform bill that will better protect children and vulnerable Australians, crack down on illegal gambling advertising and preserve personal choice for millions of Australians who gamble responsibly.
After three years of Labor delay, the Coalition has worked constructively to strengthen a flawed bill and get the balance right.
Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety, Sarah Henderson, said Australians wanted sensible safeguards without governments treating every person who had an occasional bet as a problem gambler.
“There is a sensible middle ground here. We should protect kids and vulnerable Australians from gambling harm while respecting the choices and personal responsibility of adults who gamble responsibly,” Senator Henderson said.
“Australians expect tough protections for children and people suffering gambling harm. But they also expect governments to respect the choices of adults who enjoy an occasional punt.
“The Coalition has worked constructively to strengthen Labor’s bill. We have secured tougher protections where they are needed, while making sure these laws remain practical, proportionate and respect personal responsibility.”
Senator Henderson said evidence presented to the Senate inquiry into the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 exposed serious holes in Labor’s original legislation.
“Labor’s bill simply did not go far enough to protect children and vulnerable Australians,” Senator Henderson said.
“The Coalition has secured stronger rules around live sport online, children’s programs, predatory inducements and the illegal gambling ads flooding social media.
“Parents should be able to sit down with their kids and watch sport without gambling advertising being pushed at them at every turn. Sport time is family time, and our amendments strengthen those protections.”
The Senate inquiry heard confronting evidence from former NRL player Luke Bateman about VIP account managers targeting him with significant inducements while he was suffering serious gambling harm.
Labor’s original bill failed to properly deal with these predatory inducements.
It also left open the prospect of up to three gambling advertisements an hour during children’s programming and proposed weaker protections for online broadcasts.
The Coalition has ensured online streaming rules are brought into line with broadcast restrictions and strengthened protections around children’s programming and live sport.
We have also secured a global opt-out register, giving Australians a one-stop shop to opt out of gambling advertising online, as well as tougher action against illegal gambling advertisements on social media.
The former Coalition government had a strong record of practical action to reduce gambling harm including prohibiting gambling ads during live sport, legislating BetStop and delivering the National Consumer Protection Framework, which prohibits betting companies from offering sign-up inducements.