{"id":849382,"date":"2026-08-09T18:26:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T18:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/849382\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T18:26:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T18:26:13","slug":"as-gambling-reforms-face-pressure-from-all-sides-will-labor-hold-em-fold-em-or-walk-away-josh-butler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/849382\/","title":{"rendered":"As gambling reforms face pressure from all sides, will Labor hold \u2019em, fold \u2019em or walk away? | Josh Butler"},"content":{"rendered":"

A wise philosopher once said<\/a>: \u201cYou\u2019ve got to know when to hold \u2019em, know when to fold \u2019em, know when to walk away, know when to run.\u201d<\/p>\n

Going into the spring parliamentary session after the long winter break, the Albanese government is far from walking away or running from its wagering reforms \u2013 but after developments on Sunday that it was now open to amendments on gambling inducements<\/a>, it might be thinking about folding after earlier committing to holding.<\/p>\n

There is a packed agenda for this sitting fortnight, even with no parliament on Monday as politicians return to the capital after a five-week break. Long-awaited NDIS changes are expected to be brought on for debate next week after an inquiry report lands on Friday, Tony Burke\u2019s immigration reforms are likely to be unveiled this week<\/a> or next, and consultation on the government\u2019s next tranche of tax reforms will continue.<\/p>\n

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But it will be the gambling changes from the communications minister, Anika Wells, that are likely to take political centre stage, with all the high-stakes dealing and bluffing that go along with it.<\/p>\n

Labor still believe they have the balance right, between addressing gambling harms while not overly harming the media companies and sporting codes which they say rely on gambling ads and revenue. But with the Senate maths once again against Labor, expect a deal with the Coalition<\/a> to come into play.<\/p>\n

Government sources said they were less likely to entertain changes to ad frequency rules, but would be open to making deals on inducements like bonus bets and promotional odds.<\/p>\n

However, advocates for change are warning that a lobbying campaign is starting up behind the scenes, with the gambling industry and some media companies warning parliamentarians about the consequences of further tightening rules. The peak wagering body has already raised opposition to amendments<\/a>, and while outlets like Guardian Australia don\u2019t take gambling ad money, there are legitimate concerns about the impact on media companies which do rely on that revenue stream.<\/p>\n

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Ironically, the Coalition and crossbench may be about to push the government from an electorally unpopular position \u2013 defending wagering companies\u2019 right to bombard Aussies with ads for same-game multis \u2013 into a more popular one, of taking stronger action on a social scourge.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the kind of inducement bonus that should be taken up.<\/p>\n

Movement on gambling inducements would be welcome, after startling evidence in Senate hearings last week that some betting companies provided problem gamblers with illicit drugs and sex workers<\/a> as enticements to keep wagering. Peta Murphy\u2019s landmark parliamentary report called for an immediate ban on \u201call online gambling inducements and inducement advertising\u201d, something which was absent from the government\u2019s draft reforms.<\/p>\n

If amendments on this issue are agreed, credit should be given for Labor \u2013 however belatedly \u2013 backflipping after public outcry.<\/p>\n

But Greens and Coalition sources are livid that more is not being done about advertising rules, which harm-reduction advocates say are worse than the status quo, allowing three ads an hour on TV until 8.30pm and potentially permitting more ads on streaming services \u2013 where Australians are increasingly watching sport \u2013 than currently permitted.<\/p>\n

Streaming services and online spaces would be covered by a so-called \u201ctriple lock\u201d feature, where gambling ads would only be allowed if a user is logged in and their age verified, and an \u201copt-out\u201d feature offered.<\/p>\n

But expect changes to online ads, including potentially switching to an \u201copt-in\u201d model for gambling ads, to be among reforms proposed by opponents in parliament this week.<\/p>\n

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No amendments are yet guaranteed, but the negotiations are a stark change from the last sitting day before the break, when Anthony Albanese<\/a> warned the alternative to Labor\u2019s plan could be the government walking away altogether.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a major step forward, and the parliament should vote for it. If they don\u2019t, then they do have the option of the status quo,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Wells, asked on Thursday about those remarks, said the PM\u2019s words were \u201csome weeks ago now, and I\u2019d say we\u2019re some ways off that yet\u201d, noting her \u201cconstructive discussions\u201d with the Coalition and Greens.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d love to see this passed,\u201d Wells said.<\/p>\n

That bluff, that the government would walk away, may not have worked; at the least, their opponents are willing to call it. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young on Sunday warned the non-government members could \u201ctake this out of your hands and do it in the Senate ourselves\u201d.<\/p>\n

It wouldn\u2019t be the first time Labor has lost control of the agenda in the Senate, where it doesn\u2019t control the numbers \u2013 but it creates an opportunity. Because for all the bluffing and calling going on, everyone involved knows that walking away is the worst option available.<\/p>\n

Labor knows doing nothing is not an option. The Coalition and Greens are on board to take stronger action. The government should call their opponents, take the opportunity for stronger action, and stand up from the gambling table with an electorally popular win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A wise philosopher once said: \u201cYou\u2019ve got to know when to hold \u2019em, know when to fold \u2019em,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":849383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-849382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=849382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/849383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=849382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=849382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=849382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}