The Australian federal government has formally accepted the key findings of a parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and announced a package of national reforms, according to a report by iGaming Business. The government published its full response on Wednesday to the inquiry known as the Murphy's Law inquiry, which the report says was launched in 2023.
The response answers the report titled 'You win some, you lose more' from the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs. The report says the inquiry drew on 161 submissions, 26 exhibits and 13 public hearings.
The scale of harm cited by government
The government pointed to recent statistics to show the scale of the problem. It cited Queensland Treasury figures showing Australians lost more than AU$32 billion on legal forms of gambling in the 2023-24 financial year, or about AU$1,521 per adult. Officials described this as the highest per capita loss globally. The source article gives a US dollar conversion for the total that appears to be a typographical error, so it is not repeated here.
The government also cited an Australian Institute of Family Studies estimate from 2024 that around 15% of adults were experiencing, or were at risk of, gambling-related harm. It referred to academic research suggesting each problem gambler could negatively affect up to six other people.
What the package includes and leaves out
The package is described as covering 31 recommendations, with a focus on advertising restrictions that were released in April. The measures are due to start on 1 January 2027, subject to the passage of the relevant legislation.
The reforms do not include a blanket ban on gambling advertising. In 2023 the late MP Peta Murphy tabled an amendment to the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 that would have banned gambling advertising entirely. The government instead opted for what the report calls strict harm-reduction measures. Dedicated racing channels and TAB outlets will be exempt from the advertising restrictions.
The inquiry recommended a national gambling regulator, but the government will not proceed with one. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will remain the primary federal enforcement body.
Illegal operators, payments and support services
The package includes measures against illegal operators. Banks will be empowered to block payments to illegal online gambling operators, and ACMA's website-blocking regime will be expanded. The source gives no further detail on how these powers will work.
On BetStop, the national self-exclusion register, the government committed to the following after a statutory review:
- improving system usability - boosting promotion - funding ACMA marketing to support the register - recovering operational costs from industry participants
The government also unveiled a funding package of AU$112.7 million over five years from 2025-26 to reduce gambling harms, as part of its latest budget on Tuesday. Part of the funding will come from a higher levy on licensed operators that provide access to BetStop.
The existing ban on using credit cards, credit-like products and digital currencies for online wagering, in place since June 2024, will undergo a mandatory review starting June 2026. Ministers will keep the authority to extend the prohibition to emerging credit products through legislative instruments.
Funding for the Commonwealth Financial Counselling for Gambling programme will double, with services extended to additional regions. The government will also commission a national digital public awareness campaign aimed at high-risk groups, including young men aged 18-34, First Nations peoples and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. It also plans Commonwealth legislation to criminalise match-fixing under the Criminal Code, in line with the Macolin Convention.
The government said it will refine details during legislative drafting and consult state and territory governments and industry, particularly on matters within state and territory jurisdiction such as lotteries and race wagering controls.