Australia Gambling Reforms: What Affiliate and Influencer Teams Need to Know 

Australia’s gambling reform bill would prohibit paid wagering partnerships with influencers, celebrities, and current or former professional athletes. A House amendment could also affect affiliate arrangements by banning commissions based on customer activity, placing trailing revenue share at particular risk. The amended package passed the House on August 18, 2026, but still requires Senate approval before the restrictions can become law.

Timeline: Australia’s Gambling Reform Story So Far

Note: This is a developing story. Affiverse will update this article as the bill moves through the Senate and further details emerge about its application to influencer and affiliate arrangements. 

What the Amended Bill Would Change

The Australian government introduced the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 on July 2. Its most consequential original provision for creator and affiliate businesses was a proposed ban on using “notable persons” in wagering promotion.

Wagering providers would be prohibited from entering an agreement, arrangement, or understanding involving a notable person’s sponsorship, participation, or involvement in gambling advertising. Operators would also be restricted from authorizing advertisements featuring notable people.

Communications and Sport Minister Anika Wells explained the intended reach to ABC News:

It doesn’t matter how many followers they have or which platform they use.

The wider package would also restrict television, radio, sports, and online advertising. Online wagering ads would generally be permitted only where users are logged in, verified as over 18, and able to opt out. This “triple lock” is relevant even when an advertiser is not working with a notable person.

The government intends the reforms to commence on January 1, 2027. That date still depends on the legislation passing the Senate and receiving Royal Assent.

Senate Inquiry Expands Affiliate Risk 

The Senate inquiry into the gambling reform bills widened the focus of the debate. Evidence about inducements and VIP treatment was followed by amendments that could affect not only influencer sponsorships but also how wagering operators compensate affiliates and other acquisition partners.

Testimony Intensified Scrutiny

Evidence presented to the Senate committee broadened the debate beyond advertising placement and influencer endorsements to include inducements, VIP programs, and performance-linked payments.

Former professional rugby league player and TikTok creator Luke Bateman alleged during the inquiry that gambling-company representatives supplied him with alcohol and cocaine, flew him to events, and sent personalized bonus-bet offers. He estimated that he lost approximately A$1 million and accumulated debts exceeding A$250,000. Gambling companies appearing before the inquiry said there was no evidence that their account managers had supplied drugs or sex workers. 

House Amendments Add Commission Risk

Following the committee report, Labor and the Coalition agreed to 16 amendments. These included tighter inducement controls, a national gambling-advertising opt-out register, longer advertising blackouts around live sport, an earlier start to daily restrictions, a three-year statutory review, and a prohibition on betting companies paying commissions based on customer activity.

The commission measure creates the clearest new issue for affiliate businesses. The 2023 Murphy inquiry recommended prohibiting commissions paid to staff or third parties involved in referring or providing online gambling to an individual. The amendment could therefore place trailing revenue-share models at risk, although its precise reach will depend on the final wording.

The amended package has passed the House and moved to the Senate. Coalition support gives it a pathway to passage, while the Greens and several crossbenchers oppose the package because it stops short of the Murphy report’s proposed comprehensive advertising and inducement bans.

Who Could Count as a “Notable Person”?

The category includes current and former professional athletes, celebrities, social media influencers, and other prominent individuals. It is not limited to household names or creators exceeding a particular audience threshold.

A specialist betting podcaster, racing commentator, or smaller creator may therefore require assessment. Legal analysis from Addisons notes that the definition is deliberately broad and that the explanatory material anticipates a common-sense enforcement approach from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

The proposal contains a limited exception for advertising relating solely or principally to racing when it appears on dedicated racing programs, channels, or online content services. It should not be treated as a general exemption for any creator who occasionally discusses racing.

Creator and Affiliate Deals Face Two Compliance Tests

The proposal creates two separate questions for every wagering partnership:

1. Who is promoting the operator? A commercial arrangement may be restricted if the promoter qualifies as an influencer or other notable person—even when no commission is involved.
2. How is the partner paid? A conventional publisher could face separate scrutiny if its compensation depends on referred customer activity, even when it operates through a business brand.

Changing the Payment Model May Not Help

Replacing a sponsorship fee with commission, or placing an agency or network between the operator and creator, may not remove the underlying commercial arrangement.

Networks Need Partner-Level Visibility

Agencies and affiliate networks should know who their sub-partners are, how they promote, how they are compensated, and where their audiences are located.

Evergreen Content Needs Removal Controls

Videos, podcasts, profiles, and betting guides can continue carrying tracked links or codes after a campaign ends. The UTS Centre for Media Transition notes that penalties could arise each time prohibited advertising appears. Contracts should therefore include removal rights, link-deactivation procedures, and accurate records of live content.

Which Affiliate Payment Models Face the Greatest Risk?

The commission amendment could extend the reforms beyond individual influencers, but not every affiliate arrangement carries the same apparent risk. The final position will depend on how “commission” and “customer activity” are defined in the enacted legislation and interpreted by the ACMA.

Australia’s notable-person provision resembles the Netherlands’ ban on gambling advertisements featuring public role models. Its increased focus on affiliate compensation also has parallels with New Zealand’s treatment of online casino affiliate marketing.

Existing Rules Still Apply to Offshore Promotions

Promoting illegal offshore gambling services is already prohibited in Australia. In July 2026, the ACMA issued its first enforcement action against an influencer, warning MMA fighter Jamie Mullarkey over sponsored Instagram posts that linked to an illegal service. The regulator says individuals who facilitate access to illegal gambling services, including through hyperlinks, can face civil penalties of up to A$2.475 million.

What Affiliate Managers and Creators Should Review

Waiting until commencement would leave little time to unwind content, contracts, and payment arrangements. Teams should review:

• Partners and payment models: Separate notable-person partnerships, conventional publishers, racing media, paid advertising, and offshore promotions. Record fixed fees, CPA, activity-based or loss-based revenue share, gifted benefits, codes, links, and paid amplification rights.
• Revenue-share contracts: Identify payments that continue after the initial referral or depend on customer losses and other account activity. Treat trailing commissions as a priority for legal review.
• Existing content: Audit posts, videos, podcasts, landing pages, profile links, and codes available to Australian audiences. Confirm that contracts permit removal, amendment, and tracking deactivation.
• Geographic exposure: Review audience data, geo-restrictions, landing-page access, currencies, promotional language, and whether Australian users can register or wager. Calling a campaign “global” will not remove territorial risk.
• Legislative developments: Monitor the Senate vote, final amendments, Royal Assent, commencement provisions, and ACMA guidance. Definitions covering notable persons, commissions, customer activity, benefits, and dedicated racing media will determine the reforms’ practical reach.

Australia Is Drawing a New Line Around Influence

Australia’s reforms could remove paid wagering promotion by influencers as an acquisition channel while also placing some performance-based affiliate models at risk. The final law may distinguish between trailing revenue share, CPA, fixed sponsorships, and other arrangements, so it would be premature to describe the package as a ban on all wagering affiliate activity.

The direction is nevertheless clear: compliance will depend on both the identity of the promoter and the economics of the partnership. Operators, networks, publishers, and creators should prepare for both tests before the proposed January 2027 commencement.