Australia's NT Bill Would Ban Bonus Bets and VIP Schemes. Here’s What the Deposit Caps Actually Cover.

Signal Spotlight · Australian online gambling regulation

What happened

Justine Davis, an independent member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, will introduce a private member's bill that, according to ABC News, targets the roughly 50 online bookmakers licensed in the Territory, including Sportsbet, Ladbrokes and bet365. Gambling.com names it the Racing and Wagering Amendment (Harm Prevention) Bill. ABC reports it is scheduled for introduction on Wednesday 14 October. SBC News gives 21 October, so check the parliamentary schedule before relying on either date. The bill would ban inducements outright, including bonus bets and VIP schemes, and would set monthly deposit caps of A$500 for customers aged 18 to 21 and A$1,000 for those aged 22 to 24. It would also raise the maximum disciplinary penalty from A$194,000 to A$10 million or 10% of annual revenue, create a "positive duty" for licensed bookmakers to take all reasonable steps to prevent customer harm, and ban advertising "likely to be available to children". It would also tighten conflict-of-interest rules for members of the NT's wagering commission.

What the bill would and would not do

Inducements and VIP schemes are banned for everyone. This is the broadest part of the bill. It is a prohibition, not a cap or a disclosure rule.

Deposit caps apply only to ages 18 to 24. The caps are age-tiered, A$500 a month for 18 to 21 and A$1,000 for 22 to 24. The bill does not, on the coverage we found, set a monthly deposit limit for all players.

It is a private member's bill. It is not a government measure, so it needs support to progress. Davis says Territory Labor's shadow racing minister told her Labor would support it. ABC also reports that Deputy Opposition Leader Ed Smelt wants it referred to the Legislative Scrutiny Committee, and Gambling.com says that would delay any vote. The Country Liberal Party government has said it will consider proposals on their merits, and Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby said it "won't risk pushing punters into the arms of unregulated offshore operators". It has not stated a position on this bill.

Why it matters

The signal is about where Australian pressure on bookmakers is moving. The federal government passed reforms in August, including inducement restrictions and an advertising ban during sports broadcasts and children's programs. Davis argues they do not go far enough, because they did not create the national regulator recommended by the 2023 Murphy inquiry. A bill in the Territory that licenses the big names puts the next layer of the argument on the record, and it comes with a letter of support signed by 33 advocacy organisations and leaders, including federal independent Andrew Wilkie.

The industry has already pushed back. Responsible Wagering Australia, the peak body for online gambling companies, called the proposals a "blunt, one-size-fits-all approach" and said they risk undermining the consumer protection framework. It argues the August federal reforms should be given time to take effect, that state and territory rules should not become a "patchwork", and that the measures could push Australians toward illegal offshore sites. That offshore argument is the same one being made in the Philippines about payment restrictions, and it is worth watching how each side supports it with data.