Guardian Australia · Krishani Dhanji · Thursday 2 April 2026
The PM announced gambling advertising restrictions falling well short of all 31 recommendations from Labor's own 2023 report, more than 1,000 days after it was handed down. Ads will be capped rather than banned, with opt-out mechanisms for online platforms.
A thousand days to read thirty-one recommendations and the government's come back with three ads an hour, like a doctor prescribing two cigarettes instead of four and calling it a cancer policy. Albanese stood at the Press Club and called this the most significant gambling reform Australia's ever seen, which is technically true the way a puddle is technically the deepest water in the Sahara. The bookmakers kept their ad slots, the kids kept their exposure windows, and the PM kept a straight face. Significant reform doesn't come with an opt-out button, mate.