Australia moves to broadly restrict gambling ads, while the Polymarket prediction market remains blocked

Gate News message: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that, starting January 2027, gambling advertisements on television, radio, online platforms, and sports venues will be subject to strict restrictions to reduce children’s exposure to gambling content. The new rules require that, during live sports event broadcasts (from 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.), gambling ads may not be aired; outside event hours, the maximum number of ads per hour is capped at three; celebrities and athletes may not appear in advertisements; online ads are only allowed to be shown to users who have been verified as 18 or older and have the option to opt out; and radio ads during school commuting times will also be banned.

Australia is the country with the highest per-capita gambling losses in the world. In the 2022–2023 fiscal year, the country’s total gambling losses reached A$31.5 billion, or about A$1,527 per person. Although the new rules strictly limit advertising, they still do not meet the comprehensive phased ban proposed by the 2023 Murphy Parliamentary Inquiry. Documents from the Electoral Commission show that, during the period when reforms were delayed, gambling companies continued to make donations to major political parties, and both Sportsbet and Tabcorp have donation records.

At the same time, based on cryptocurrency, the prediction platform Polymarket has remained blocked in Australia since August 2025, with internet service providers preventing access to it. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) classifies it as an unlicensed interactive gambling service. The U.S.-regulated prediction exchange Kalshi also limits access for Australian users to comply with local gambling laws. While these platforms are not directly affected by the new ad restrictions, they remain a regulatory focus.

Analysts say the new ad rules will reduce the exposure of traditional sports betting in mainstream media, while crypto prediction markets such as Polymarket still cannot operate legally. This means that even though traditional gambling advertising will be tightened significantly, prediction markets supported by blockchain technology and crypto assets in Australia still face blocking risks, and investors and users need to closely monitor local legal and regulatory developments.