Australia announces single opt-out register for gambling ads

Australians struggling to escape gambling advertising online may soon have one place to turn instead of dozens. The federal government has proposed a single "Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register", administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, that would let people block wagering ads across online platforms in one step.

Communications Minister Anika Wells introduced the plan as a third bill amending the government's existing wagering legislation, after a Senate inquiry heard that individual opt-out settings on separate streaming and social media services were hard to find and rarely used.

The original bill had relied on a "triple lock" model, requiring ads to run only to logged-in, over-18 users with an opt-out option. Gambling harm advocates argued that setup left the burden on users rather than platforms.

According to Wells, the register would provide Australians with a centralised way to block wagering advertisements without looking up the settings on each individual platform.

The funding for the register is to be paid by the gambling industry via a new levy that would enable the ACMA to recoup its administrative costs.

The new measure does not go far enough as per the demands from some Labour and Liberal MPs for an opt-in system or outright ban on advertising put forth in the 2023 report by Peta Murphy.

This bill also prohibits inducement-based marketing and social media marketing to specified customers, prevents marketing campaigns to obtain consent, and restricts commission-based referrals for licensed wagering agents.

Wells told the parliament that the government acted on the evidence proving that inducements have an immediate effect on gambling harms.