The Australian government officially disclosed a five-year gambling harm prevention funding scheme totaling AUD 112.7 million (approximately USD 73.3 million) in the 2026-27 fiscal year budget on Tuesday, with about AUD 18.1 million of ongoing funds retained annually after the initial period. This funding is mainly executed in collaboration by the Department of Social Services, the Department of Infrastructure and Transport, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority, partly sourced from increased additional fees charged to licensed gambling operators for the national self-exclusion registry. ACMA previously estimated in its cost recovery report that the operational costs of the BetStop platform would reach about AUD 6.12 million in the fiscal year 2026-27, an increase of about 15%, with the increased levy intended to cover the rising expenses of system maintenance and compliance checks.
The four pillars from financial consulting to public education
This funding scheme, named "Addressing Online Gambling Harms," is divided into four core segments, each targeting different nodes on the gambling harm chain. The financial consulting segment locks in AUD 39.2 million, to be invested over four years starting from the fiscal year 2026-27, then transitioning to a stable annual funding of AUD 10 million to expand financial counseling services for individuals and families affected by gambling harms. The upgrade of the BetStop national self-exclusion registry system receives AUD 28.7 million, focusing on enhancing community awareness of BetStop, improving data matching systems, and strengthening customer safety protections. The advertising enforcement and consumer protection segment is granted AUD 22.6 million, gradually allocated over five years with AUD 4.9 million of ongoing funds retained annually, specifically for implementing gambling advertising reforms, combating illegal gambling services, and protecting consumers from harmful online lottery products. The national public education campaign segment receives AUD 22.4 million, to be executed over three years starting from the fiscal year 2026-27, aimed at conducting nationwide campaigns to encourage people affected by gambling harms to actively seek support.
In terms of specific funding allocations among the ministries, the Department of Social Services' gambling harm prevention funds will increase from AUD 13.5 million in the fiscal year 2026-27 to AUD 21.2 million in 2027-28, marking the most significant increase in this budget. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Arts, and Sports will also see an increase to AUD 12.5 million. From ACMA's side, besides providing an initial additional fund of AUD 3.2 million in the fiscal year 2026-27, an additional AUD 5.2 million will be added annually from 2026-27 to 2029-30, partly shared by licensed operators through the self-exclusion fee mechanism.
Preparatory groundwork on the eve of the advertising ban
This budget release comes just one month after the Australian federal government announced a gambling advertising reform plan. The new regulations, set to take effect in January 2027, will completely prohibit TV gambling advertisements during live sports events, ban radio gambling advertisements during key parenting times, and restrict digital platform gambling advertisements to only be shown to logged-in users who are at least 18 years old, while also providing an option to refuse push notifications. This reform package is implemented within the framework of 31 reform proposals made by the late MP Peta Murphy to the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001, marking the culmination of years of public pressure on the proliferation of gambling advertisements through both legislative and budgetary tools.
PASA official website continues to track the latest developments in global responsible gambling policies and public funding mechanisms, noting that Australia's direct linkage of the self-exclusion fee system with the gambling harm prevention budget is providing a new institutional reference for other jurisdictions incorporating licensed operators into the consumer protection cost-sharing system.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
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