Australia Sets Triple Lock Rules for Online Wagering Ads

Australia’s online content platforms will face new controls on wagering advertising from January 1, 2027, with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) publishing initial guidance on an exception that allows ads to remain available to eligible users.

Under the new rules, online content service providers will generally be prohibited from carrying wagering advertising. Platforms that want to continue displaying it can rely on the “triple lock exception” if they take reasonable steps to restrict access to appropriate users.

The framework requires providers to prevent restricted users from receiving wagering advertising, ensure recipients are using registered accounts and give account holders a way to opt out.

As published on ACMA’s website, restricted users include anyone in Australia under the age of 18, users whose age has not been confirmed, people who are not logged into registered accounts and customers who have chosen to stop receiving wagering advertising.

The rules will cover a broad range of digital services, including social media, websites, messaging platforms, online gaming services and subscription or broadcast video-on-demand platforms.

Age and Account Checks Form First Part of the Triple Lock

Age assurance will play a significant role in determining whether a service has taken reasonable steps to comply.

The regulator’s guidance identifies age verification, age estimation and age inference as possible approaches. Providers may use more than one independent method when assessing a user’s age.

Platforms can also rely on existing age-assurance systems if those processes meet the new requirements.

However, government-issued identification cannot be the only method available to users. Providers must offer a reasonable alternative to people who do not want to use government ID for age checks.

The account requirement means wagering advertising cannot simply be shown to any visitor. Users receiving the content must be signed into a registered account.

That condition is likely to affect the amount of advertising inventory publishers and digital platforms can make available to wagering operators, since only eligible, authenticated adults can receive the material under the exception.

The guidance covers wagering advertisements alongside sponsorship and promotional material connected with licensed interactive wagering services. Unpaid content may also fall within the rules when it promotes a wagering service and is created by, for or on behalf of an operator.

Dedicated wagering and racing websites and apps can qualify for a separate exception. A bookmaker’s own website or app may therefore operate under different requirements, while the bookmaker’s account on a third-party social network does not receive the same exemption.

Opt-Out Systems Must Be Easy to Use

The third part of the framework requires registered users to have an effective way to stop receiving wagering advertising.

ACMA said opt-out tools should be clear, simple and easy to find. A mechanism buried inside lengthy policies or requiring numerous steps would be unlikely to satisfy the reasonable-steps standard.

An opt-out should apply across the user’s account rather than being limited to one device.

Providers should also remind account holders about the option at least once a year.

Australia is separately preparing a national Wagering Advertising Opt-Out Register, although its commencement date has not yet been confirmed. Once the register becomes operational, services relying on the triple lock will need to take account of users registered through that system as well.

The guidance states that providers will need to make consumers aware of the available opt-out routes and check the national register at least every 14 days once it begins operating.

ACMA also intends to publish a list of online services that have implemented the triple lock, allowing consumers to identify participating platforms.

Providers planning to rely on the exception have been encouraged to notify the regulator so they can receive updates about development of the national register.

Compliance Will Follow a Risk-Based Approach

ACMA said it will assess whether a provider has taken reasonable steps by considering factors such as the size of the service, its user demographics, available resources and overall risk profile.

Platforms are expected to conduct documented risk assessments and regularly review the measures they use to prevent restricted users from receiving wagering advertising.

Relevant compliance records should generally be retained for at least 12 months. Evidence could include age-assurance results, login information, advertising impressions and opt-out activity.

The new controls form part of reforms enacted through the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026 on August 26.

The wider package also introduces tighter restrictions affecting gambling advertising across television, radio and sporting events, along with new limits on inducements.

For online publishers and platforms, the practical effect from January will depend on their ability to identify eligible adults and apply advertising preferences at account level. Services unable or unwilling to meet the triple lock requirements will generally be prohibited from providing wagering advertising.