{"id":777048738,"date":"2026-10-19T07:02:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T10:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777048738"},"modified":"2026-10-19T07:17:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T10:17:16","slug":"australia-notable-people-wagering-advertising-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/australia-notable-people-wagering-advertising-ban","title":{"rendered":"ACMA clarifies Australian gambling ad rules"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The regulator has published initial industry guidance outlining how the new restrictions will apply to athletes, celebrities, influencers and other prominent individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ACMA has published guidance on Australia&#8217;s ban on notable people appearing in wagering advertising, ahead of its commencement on January 1, 2027.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The restrictions cover current and former professional athletes, celebrities, social media influencers and prominent individuals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Licensed wagering operators are responsible for compliance, including advertising produced by third-party agencies and campaigns featuring individuals who become notable over time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Australia.- The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has published initial guidance on the new gambling advertising rules that will come into effect on <strong>January 1, 2027<\/strong>. The guidance outlines how new restrictions will apply to the use of current and former professional athletes, celebrities, social media influencers and prominent individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new restrictions were introduced under the <a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/australias-gambling-ad-reforms-pass-parliament\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026<\/a>. Enacted on August 26, 2026, this amended the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. The guidance provide examples of who may fall within the scope of the restrictions, explains how the regulator will assess potential breaches and identifies the exceptions available under the law. .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under <strong>Section 62W<\/strong>, licensed interactive wagering service providers (LIWSPs) will be prohibited from entering into contracts or arrangements involving notable people to promote wagering advertising content in Australia. Operators will also be prohibited from authorising or causing advertising featuring such individuals to be broadcast or made available online. The rules will apply across broadcast television, radio, news websites, online games and social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A broad definition of notable people<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ACMA\u2019s guidance emphasises that the definition of a notable person is deliberately broad and is not limited to individuals who appeal to children. The regulator also considers the potential <strong>influence of recognisable figures<\/strong> on people at risk of gambling harm and specific audience segments, including younger men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Assessments will be conducted on a case-by-case basis, taking into account factors such as an individual\u2019s public profile, media exposure, professional achievements and ability to influence consumer decisions. The context in which a person appears in an advertisement will be relevant, including whether they have been paid or otherwise compensated to promote a wagering service and whether the campaign associates the service with their personal or professional identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The guidance states that having a social media account does not automatically make someone an influencer. However, there is no minimum follower count or verification requirement for an individual to be considered notable. A content creator with a relatively small audience may fall within the rules if they are recognised and influential within a particular community or demographic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same principle applies to former professional athletes and public figures. Retirement or a reduction in media exposure does not necessarily remove someone from the scope of the restrictions if they retain public recognition or the ability to influence audiences. The regulator also warned that a person\u2019s status can change over time. An individual who is not considered notable when a contract is signed may subsequently gain public recognition, potentially making existing advertising non-compliant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ACMA stressed that licensed operators, not the individuals featured in the campaigns, are responsible for preventing breaches. This obligation extends to advertising developed or managed by <strong>third-party creative and advertising agencies<\/strong>. Operators will need to ensure that the final content complies with the new rules before it reaches audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ACMA noted that failing to take all reasonably available steps to withdraw or cease the relevant advertising could lead to a breach. It also highlighted the need for operators to address these risks during contract negotiations and when purchasing advertising placements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Racing exception<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The legislation provides an exception for notable people appearing in wagering advertising that relates <strong>solely or principally to racing<\/strong> and is broadcast on a dedicated racing program or channel, or provided through a dedicated racing online content service. Both conditions must be met for the exception to apply. Content that includes substantial coverage of other sports, for example, is unlikely to qualify simply because it also features racing.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"see-also-container\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label\">See also:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-article\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"related-article__thumbnail\" src=\"\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"related-article__text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"see-also-label-strong\">See also:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/australian-senate-inquiry-hears-allegations-of-betting-inducements-from-former-nrl-player-luke-bateman\">Australian Senate inquiry hears allegations of betting inducements from former NRL player Luke Bateman<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The regulator has published initial industry guidance outlining how the new restrictions will apply to athletes, celebrities, influencers and other prominent individuals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":226,"featured_media":777028002,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued initial guidance on new gambling advertising restrictions, effective January 1, 2027, which prohibit the use of current\/former athletes, celebrities, and influencers in wagering promotions. Licensed operators bear primary responsibility for compliance, extending to third-party agency content and individuals whose notability status may change over time. This regulatory update mandates a significant shift in marketing strategies for the Australian iGaming sector.","focusai_entities":"Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)","focusai_location":"Australia","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (1.0), operator_casino (1.0), affiliate_publisher (0.8), marketing_crm (1.0), investor_analyst (0.8), supplier_vendor (0.8), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Operator Compliance Burden","query":"What specific governance frameworks and internal controls will Australian LIWSPs need to implement to mitigate the compliance risk associated with third-party agency advertising and evolving 'notable person' status?"},{"label":"\"Notable Person\" Ambiguity","query":"How will ACMA ensure consistent and objective assessment of the 'notable person' definition, particularly for micro-influencers or individuals whose public profile fluctuates, to provide clarity for operators?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[16336,156],"tags":[6093,25436,289],"class_list":["post-777048738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australasia-news","category-regulation-news","tag-acma","tag-advertising","tag-australia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777048738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/226"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777048738"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777048738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777048744,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777048738\/revisions\/777048744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777028002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777048738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777048738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777048738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}