Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned against rushing into a blanket ban on gambling advertising, cautioning that such measures could drive Australians to offshore operators.
“What’s in our mind is practicalities of whether people just go offshore, then there’s no revenue at all. They engage in gambling with no revenue coming back at all. And it doesn’t solve the problem,” Albanese told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News.
His comments come as the government weighs its response to a national review into family, domestic, and sexual violence, which urged sweeping gambling and alcohol reforms, including a full ban on advertising.
The review, led by commissioner Micaela Cronin, linked gambling and alcohol to rising rates of abuse, alongside other risk factors such as online misogyny. It recommended tighter restrictions on gaming machines and online betting, arguing operators have failed to do enough to address the harms associated with their industries.
The panel’s findings have placed added pressure on the Labor government, with advocacy groups and crossbench MPs calling for urgent reforms.
Albanese noted the government has already acted, citing the national self-exclusion register BetStop and the 2023 legislation banning credit card use for online wagering. He argued the issue lies less with recreational gambling and more with problem gambling, adding that poker machines remain the greatest source of harm.
While some states, such as New South Wales and Western Australia, have already tightened rules, the federal government has delayed broader action.
A 2023 report from the late MP Peta Murphy called for a three-year phase-out of betting ads, but Labor instead is considering partial restrictions on when and how ads are shown.
Industry lobbying and political donations have been cited as barriers to tougher measures, though Albanese’s comments indicate reforms remain on the table. A formal government response to the review is expected in the coming months.
