Australia Passes Betting Law With Affiliate Commission Ban

Australia has approved a wide gambling reform package that changes how betting operators can advertise and acquire customers. The new rules also target affiliate commissions, inducements and payments to illegal offshore sites.

One of the late additions to the legislation affects how operators pay affiliates and their own staff. Notably, commissions linked to customer activity will be prohibited.

The government added the measure shortly before the bill cleared Parliament on August 19. It covers performance-based compensation where earnings depend on how referred customers behave after acquisition.

The Rule Does Not Ban Affiliate Marketing Itself

The approved reform package puts activity-based commercial models under pressure. RevShare arrangements are an obvious area affected because payments can rise or fall with player activity.

Operators will also face tighter rules around inducements. Direct bonus marketing is barred during the first 14 days after a customer opens an account. The same restriction applies for three months after someone leaves BetStop and indefinitely for customers identified as at risk of gambling-related harm.

Sports Betting Ads Lose Several Major Channels

The legislation introduces a wider blackout around live sport. Between 5am and 8:30pm, wagering advertising restrictions begin 15 minutes before an event and continue until five minutes after it ends.

TV advertising will be capped at three wagering ads per hour during the same daytime window. Betting promotions will also be restricted during children’s programming. Athletes, celebrities and influencers will no longer be allowed to promote wagering services.

Online advertising gets a separate set of controls. Platforms can serve wagering ads only to logged-in adults who have an option to stop receiving them. ACMA will also develop a national Wagering Advertising Opt-out Register.

Payment Blocking Adds Pressure on Offshore Sites

The reform gives banks and payment systems a role in disrupting illegal gambling. They will be able to prevent transactions involving designated offshore services. ACMA also receives broader powers to move against illegal gambling websites and their access infrastructure.

Most of the core measures are scheduled to start on January 1, 2027. One exception concerns existing sports sponsorship agreements. The government has said current contracts will be honoured, meaning some betting logos may remain on uniforms or at venues until those deals expire.

Market Implications

For licensed operators, the reform changes the economics of customer acquisition from several directions at once. Advertising inventory shrinks, direct inducement campaigns face new limits and activity-linked affiliate commissions disappear. Affiliates may therefore have to rely more heavily on fixed commercial arrangements. At the same time, payment blocking gives ACMA another route to squeeze offshore competitors rather than relying mainly on website restrictions.