Nine Entertainment has asked the Albanese government to pay it compensation if it bans gambling advertisements, and not to limit any ban to broadcast media.
Nine chair Catherine West confirmed the company had been discussing ad restrictions with the government, seeking “some type of compensation” and a commitment to make any ban apply broadly across all media types. She told Nine’s AGM:
We believe that gambling across the society is a collective responsibility … We already have a lot of regulation.
It would not be fair for us to not be able to do gambling and gambling companies to be able to sponsor word searches on Google. That will just mean that the revenue is diverted away from us across the board.
West did not directly answer when asked whether Nine had asked the government to resist moves to limit gambling ads. She said the ads accounted for the “low single digits” of Nine’s revenue, which was nearly $2.7bn in the year to June.
No. Did they get by when cigarette TVCs were banned in the mid 1970s, of course they did. Just cut down on the excessive amounts of sports rights broadcast fees. And if you can’t afford them, move on. Why should the taxpayer bail-out these vested interests all the time? FTA commercial networks get way too much in the way of govt bailouts and protection as it is to keep their outdated 1950s business model going while the rest of the world gets none.
Albanese government ‘walking away from social media gambling ad ban’
The Albanese government has been urged not to drop its proposed gambling advertising ban on social media, with reports that communications minister Anika Wells is seeking to shift the focus towards combatting overseas betting operations.
The AFR reported on Thursday that the government plans to quietly step back former comms minister Michelle Rowland previous proposal to ban gambling advertising on social media. Rowland also proposed that TV ads be restricted to an hour either side of a live sports broadcast, with a limit of two hours an hour.
This proposal was widely viewed as a watered-down version of the results of a bipartisan parliamentary inquiry, in which the late Labor MP Peta Murphy recommended a complete ban of all gambling ads.
The Greens will push for a Senate inquiry into gambling advertising reforms on Monday (November 24).
“Going soft on banning digital and online advertising will leave families vulnerable to the gambling industry vultures,” said Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
Responsible Wagering Australia — the peak body that represents bet365, Betfair, Entain, Sportsbet, Picklebet, Pointsbet and Unibet — yesterday released a report supporting the idea of a foreign gambling crackdown.
lol
Are British, and
Unibet
Is Maltese.
But yeah, we need a foreign gambling crackdown 
They are referred to betting companies like Kaiyan and 12Bet, which are prominently promoted on Premier League matches but are illegal in Australia.
Pussy.
Add sportsbet to the same category as Betfair (they have the same owners)
Public servants from (Communication Minister Anika) Wells’ department fronted up to Senate estimates (on Tuesday), revealing that there has been a grand total of zero drafting of fresh legislation commissioned by her, or her predecessor, to crack down on gambling advertising.
“In terms of gambling advertising, there was no draft legislation or instructions for legislation agreed or signed off by the previous minister?” Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young asked Communications assistant secretary Margaret Lopez.
“No, Senator. It hadn’t progressed to that point,” Lopez responded.
It is approaching three years since the late Labor MP Peta Murphy issued a report recommending a phased out, full ban on advertising from gambling companies.
There’s been plenty of cash sloshing around since then, despite some self-regulation. New data from analytics firm Nielsen this week showed the gambling industry spent $171 million advertising their brands across all media platforms across 2025.
That is only a minor dip on the $187.75 million spent in 2024 and a further drop on the $239m in 2023 when Murphy’s report was released.
(Curtin MP Kate) Chaney has drafted a private member’s bill to end online gambling advertising, which she plans to introduce to the House of Representatives next Monday.
It will include measures to phase in a complete ban on adds for online gambling services over three years, including free-to-air television, streaming services, social media, and around sporting fields.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the reforms during his speech at the National Press Club in Canberra at lunchtime today.
New wagering advertising restrictions must be accompanied by meaningful mitigation to protect Free TV services for all Australians
Free TV Australia has acknowledged the Government’s announcement of new restrictions on wagering advertising while calling on the Government to deliver meaningful mitigation measures to protect the long-term sustainability of free television services.
Free TV CEO Bridget Fair said the industry understood and respected the community’s concerns about gambling advertising and has advocated for a proportionate response.
“We acknowledge the Government’s decision and the community concerns that underpin it,” Ms Fair said. “Commercial television broadcasters have engaged in good faith throughout this process, and we welcome the Government’s focus on protecting children and vulnerable Australians.”
“Australia’s commercial television broadcasters already operate under the most heavily regulated advertising framework in the country, including longstanding whistle-to-whistle protections during live sport. Today’s announcement – including the cap of three wagering ads per hour between 6.00 and 8.30pm on television, banning the use of celebrities and sports players in gambling ads, and the requirement for online platforms to verify age and provide opt-out options – builds on those existing strong restrictions, and we will work constructively with the Government on its implementation.”
Free TV noted that the new measures will have a material impact on the advertising revenue that funds the essential free broadcasting services that millions of Australians rely upon as well as significant implementation costs to comply with technical requirements for online platforms. Commercial television broadcasters are regulated under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to earn revenue solely from advertising – revenue that funds trusted news, live and free sport and quality Australian content for all Australians, regardless of postcode or income.
Without appropriate mitigation, these measures risk undermining the very services that bring Australians together – free trusted news that supports our democracy, free sport that unites our communities, and free Australian stories that reflect who we are.
Ms Fair called on the Government to consider appropriate mitigation measures to balance the impact of these changes on the sector. “We are concerned about the revenue impact these restrictions will have on services that are required to be advertiser funded,” Ms Fair said. “The Government has consistently acknowledged that mitigation is part of this equation, and we urge it to act on that commitment without delay.”
Free TV is calling on the Government to urgently progress the mitigation measures it has proposed, including permanently removing the Commercial Broadcasting Tax and expediting the consideration of the News Bargaining Incentive. This tax applies only to commercial broadcasters – the most heavily regulated in the sector – who invest more than $1.6 billion in Australian content every year.
Free TV Australia looks forward to continuing to work with the Government on the implementation of these measures to ensure free television remains strong and sustainable for all Australians well into the future.
Yet again, what is this half-arsed effort? Just bite the bullet and give the gambling lobbies the middle finger. At least it would indicate the government is standing up for something other than lobby groups.
Communications Minister Anika Wells has announced “targeted” consultation on the draft laws, which Labor wants to have in effect by January 2027.
Under Labor’s changes there would be no wagering ads between 6am and 8.30pm during live sport, with the ban extending to five minutes either side of games and including all breaks.
A night ban would continue during play, but be allowed during scheduled and unscheduled breaks such as half time or a rain delay.
There would also be a maximum of three ads per 60-minute period per channel between 6am and 8.30pm.
On radio, there would be no wagering ads between 8am and 9am as well as 3pm and 4pm on school days when children are more likely to be in the car.
It does not go far enough and I do see the loophole that the networks could use to force the AFL and NRL to start their games later in order to show Gambling Ads. My proposal is a complete ban on Online Gambling Advertising altogether. A ban on Gambling Advertising on TV and Radio between 6am and 9pm and within 60 minutes of a sporting match.
Just ban gambling ads full stop. The networks who make money from this can cry a river about it and then move on.
Would be more effective than the current social media ban.
