REGULATION IN AUSTRALIA
recommendations from the Murphy Report. Part III details the key reforms set out in the Bill. Finally, Part IV comments on whether the Bill is likely to be effective at minimising gambling harm in Australia The Murphy Report On its release in June, 2023, the Murphy Report 4 was hailed as a landmark report on gambling reform in Australia. It highlighted the impact of online gambling on Australians, noting that ‘Australians outspend the citizens of every other country on online gambling’, losing AUS$25 billion every year. The recommendations made in the Murphy Report apply a ‘public health lens to online gambling to reduce harm across the whole Australian population’.
Introduction The gambling industry in Australia has been in a state of turmoil over the past several years. Major casinos in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth have been subject to considerable scrutiny – and in some cases oversight – due to failures in their respective compliance regimes; 1 millions of dollars in fines have been issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in respect of gambling operators’ breaches of their obligations; 2 and numerous measures have been taken to reduce the harm caused by gaming machines. 3 One of the most important catalysts for the reforms in Australia was the 2023 ‘You Win Some, You Lose More’ report (the Murphy Report or Report). The Murphy Report is the final report of the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs’ ‘Inquiry into Online Gambling and Its Impacts on Those Experiencing Gambling Harm’, chaired by the late Peta Murphy (Inquiry). The Murphy Report made 31 recommendations to reduce harm and drive government action in respect of gambling in Australia. Despite this aim, and despite the Murphy Report urging that swift action should be taken, the Australian Government did not announce its response until 12 May, 2026 – over 1,000 days after the report’s release. Shortly after announcing its response, the Government released an Exposure Draft of the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 (the Bill) on 29 May, 2026 with the final bill expected to be tabled in Parliament in July, 2026. Despite the time it took to formulate, however, the Government’s response has been criticised by parties on both sides of the debate. This article critically analyses the Bill, and considers whether it will be effective at achieving its intended objectives. This article proceeds in three parts. Part II sets out some of the key
Some of the key recommendations are set out below:
National gambling regulator
Responsibility for gambling regulation in Australia is currently divided between the federal government and state/territory governments. Submissions to the Inquiry highlighted that the various regulators across Australia currently operate in silos. Other submissions pointed out that, under the Australian Constitution, only the federal government has the ‘levers and authority to effectively introduce nationally consistent regulations in line with consumer expectations’. Despite this, other submissions emphasised that a national regulator would not have the same flexibility that state and territory regulators have by ‘being able to choose between a coordinated or unique approach’.
In light of the consultation, the Murphy Report ultimately
1 ‘The Star’s Manager’s Term Extended for Further Six Months’, NSW Independent Casino Commission (Media Release, 1 April, 2026) <https:// www.nicc.nsw.gov.au/news-and-media-releases/star-manager%E2%80%99s-term-extended-for-further-six-months>; The Star Entertainment Group, ‘Disciplinary Action and Appointment of Special Manager in Queensland’ (ASX Announcement, 9 December 2022); ‘About the Special Manager: An Overview of the Office of the Special Manager’, Vic.gov.au (Web Page, 28 June,2024) <https://www.vic.gov.au/about-special-man- ager-melbourne-casino-operator>; Paul Papalia, ‘Casino Licensee Found Suitable by Racing and Gaming Minister’ (Media Release, 8 July, 2025) <https://www.wa.gov.au/government/media-statements/Cook%20Labor%20Government/Casino-licensee-found-suitable-by-Racing-and-Gam- ing-Minister-20250708>. 2 See, eg, ‘Unibet Penalised $1 Million for Gambling Self-Exclusion Breaches’, ACMA (Media Release, 21 May 2025); ‘TAB Penalised $4 Million for Spamming VIP Customers’, ACMA (Media Release, 17 June 2025) <https://www.acma.gov.au/articles/2025-06/tab-penalised-4-million- spamming-vip-customers>. 3 See, eg, Gaming Machines Act 2001 (NSW) pt 4. 4 Here and all other references You Win Some, You Lose More: Online Gambling and Its Impacts on Those Experiencing Gambling Harm (Re- port, Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, June 2023) iii, 1
IMGL MAGAZINE | JUNE 2026
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