Australian operators will be barred from using celebrities in marketing materials from the start of next year, as per new guidelines published by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on 19 October.
Coming into effect from 1 January 2027, any broadcast or online gambling advertising in the country must not feature a “notable person”.
Operators will be banned from entering into contracts or agreements “relating to the sponsorship, participation or involvement of a notable person with the promotion of wagering advertising content in Australia”.
A notable person is classed as any current or former “professional sports player or athlete”, a current or former “celebrity”, or a current or former “social media influencer”.
Any current or former “prominent individual”, as well as “a person included in a class of persons that the minister determines” will also be banned from appearing in gambling-related marketing.
These restrictions will apply to all platforms including broadcast television, radio, news websites, online games and social media.
The ACMA noted an exception can be made if the involvement of a notable person concerns betting advertising content which relates solely to horseracing, is broadcast or datacast on a dedicated racing programme or channel or is provided on a specific racing online content service.
The media watchdog also included provisions for a person becoming notable after entering into a sponsorship agreement with an operator.
The ACMA stated: “If a person included in wagering advertising content who was not a notable person goes on to become a notable person, the advertising content could no longer be broadcast, datacast or provided online after the point in time when the relevant person has become a notable person.
“LIWSPs [licensed internet wagering service providers] must not ‘authorise or cause’ wagering advertising content featuring a notable person (including if they can be seen or heard) to be broadcast, datacast or provided online in Australia.
“In considering reasonable timeframes to phase out that content, the ACMA may consider the likely impact of the advertisement, including its length, scope, scale and reach.”
Australia is set to join jurisdictions such as the UK, the Netherlands, Spain and Ontario in prohibiting celebrities, sports stars and influencers from appearing in gambling advertising.
The latest guidelines from the ACMA follow on from the new advertising reforms introduced by the Albanese government in August.
The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 stopped short of an outright blanket ban on gambling advertising, which some members of the Australian parliament had been calling for and had been recommended in the 2023 Murphy report.
The new measures include the limiting of TV ads to three per hour between 5am and 8.30pm, the phasing out of sporting sponsorships and the introduction of an opt-out option for online advertising.
Part of the reforms stipulated the ACMA will be tasked with implementing and enforcing the new rules.
In July, the ACMA handed out its first gambling-related sanction to an influencer after issuing a warning to Australian MMA fighter Jamie Mullarkey over his promotion of offshore operators on social media.
In September, the ACMA issued a court-enforceable sanction to family-owned Palmer Bookmaking Pty Ltd over self-exclusion violations which related to Palmerbet accepting 312 bets from an individual who was signed up to self-exclusion register BetStop.
The post Australia updates advertising regulations to prohibit celebrity endorsements first appeared on EGR Intel.
New guidelines published by the ACMA ban the use of “notable persons” in marketing from 1 January 2027, though there is a carveout for dedicated horseracing channels and programmes
The post Australia updates advertising regulations to prohibit celebrity endorsements first appeared on EGR Intel.