Australia’s planned ban on gambling logos on professional sports jerseys has come under fire over a five-year transition period that could allow existing sponsorships to remain visible until the end of 2031.
The Albanese government has moved to prohibit wagering company logos on sporting jerseys as part of broader gambling advertising reforms aimed at reducing the exposure of children to betting promotions.
However, the legislation includes grandfathering provisions allowing existing sponsorship agreements to continue for up to five years, potentially keeping gambling branding on some jerseys until 31st December 2031.
The transition period has drawn criticism from public health advocates and politicians, who argue that it undermines the government’s stated objective of separating gambling from sport. Independent senator David Pocock described the arrangement as “absurd”, noting that some sponsorships could still be operating when the legislation undergoes its scheduled three-year review.
“We are in an absurd situation where by the time of the legislation’s three-year statutory review, jerseys may still have betting logos on them.”
David Pocock
He called on sporting clubs to voluntarily end their relationships with wagering companies at the earliest possible opportunity rather than relying on the full transition period.
Liberal MP Andrew Wallace, who crossed the floor to vote against the legislation, also criticised the length of the transition period. Wallace said he had advocated for a two-year deadline, arguing that this would have provided sporting organisations with sufficient time to secure alternative sponsors. Communications Minister Anika Wells defended the five-year period as an attempt to balance the government’s policy objectives with existing commercial agreements.
Wells revealed that at least one unnamed sporting club has an existing jersey sponsorship agreement running until 2031. “In trying to strike a balance here between grandfathering existing arrangements and ensuring viability, that’s what we got to,” Wells said, adding that the 2031 agreement was the most significant example and that a number of other contracts were due to expire considerably earlier.
Several National Rugby League clubs currently carry wagering or lottery brands on their jerseys, with some agreements extending until at least the end of the 2028 season. The Brisbane Broncos have an agreement with Australian casino operator The Star running until the end of next season, although the club has yet to reveal its 2027 jersey and is reportedly in discussions with the company.
The Penrith Panthers signed a sponsorship agreement with wagering operator Picklebet in 2025, which the club said would run until “at least” the end of the 2027 season. The Newcastle Knights’ agreement with Palmerbet has reportedly been signed through the end of 2028, while the Dolphins have a jersey sponsorship arrangement with Betr, which merged with existing sponsor BlueBet in 2024.
The Wests Tigers have an agreement with NextBet, formerly known as PlayUp, which is expected to expire before the final transition deadline. The Sydney Roosters extended their longstanding sponsorship agreement with Unibet in July 2025, with the operator’s branding also appearing on jerseys worn by the club’s women’s team.
Meanwhile, the Gold Coast Titans signed a jersey sponsorship agreement with The Lottery Office in 2024. Domestic lottery operators are exempt from the new restrictions under a carveout contained in the reforms. Public health experts have questioned why gambling sponsorships deemed sufficiently harmful to warrant prohibition are being permitted to continue for another five years.
Samantha Thomas, a public health expert specialising in gambling harm, said the lengthy transition made it difficult to take seriously the government’s pledge to break the connection between gambling and professional sport.
“The government has effectively said that they recognise that gambling sponsorship is harmful to children and then decided that it can continue for the next five years.”
Samantha Thomas
Martin Thomas of the Alliance for Gambling Reform similarly argued that the grandfathering arrangements highlighted the limited impact of what he described as compromised reforms. The final 31st December 2031 cut-off was not included in a draft exposure version of the legislation circulated in late May, with the deadline only becoming apparent when the bill was formally introduced to parliament.
