Northern Territory bill would ban bonus bets at bookmakers

A draft bill in the Northern Territory would ban bonus bets, deposit matches and VIP schemes at NT-licensed bookmakers and cap how much young adults can deposit each month. It is sponsored by Justine Davis, the independent member for Johnston in the NT Legislative Assembly. The Racing and Wagering Amendment (Harm Prevention) Bill 2026 is a consultation draft and a private member's bill, not government policy. According to ABC News, Davis is scheduled to introduce it in the Assembly on Wednesday 14 October.

Nothing changes for bettors yet. The bill still has to be introduced, debated and passed.

Why a Territory bill matters across Australia

According to ABC News, 50 online bookmakers are licensed in the Northern Territory, including Sportsbet, Ladbrokes and Bet365. ABC describes the NT regulator as Australia's de facto watchdog for online bookmakers, because so many companies choose a Territory licence for its low taxes. Rules for NT licensees would therefore apply to their customers in every state.

Davis makes the same argument on her campaign page: "The NT is the quasi national regulator for online gambling in Australia because we have the weakest regulations and the lowest taxes."

What the draft would change

• Inducements banned. A licensee could not offer, provide or advertise an inducement meant to get someone to open an account, place a bet, keep betting or return after a break. The draft lists sign-up bonuses, free bets or bet credits, deposit matches, loyalty programs or rewards, VIP schemes or tiered benefits, rebates, refunds or credits, and preferential odds or terms offered to selected customers.
• Deposit caps for under-25s. Sports bookmakers and betting exchanges could not accept total monthly deposits above A$500 from a customer aged 18 to 21, or above A$1,000 from a customer aged 22 to 24, across all of that person's accounts with the licensee.
• A duty to prevent harm. Licensees would have to take "all reasonable steps to prevent harm to customers caused by wagering". A customer harmed by a failure to meet that duty could sue for compensation, and the licensee would carry the burden of proving it met the duty.
• Mandatory suspensions. A licensee would have to suspend a customer immediately if they show two or more listed signs of harm, such as chasing losses, betting for more than two hours, or repeated failed deposits. The same applies to anyone self-excluded on the National Self-exclusion Register (BetStop), suspected money laundering, and minors.
• No loss-linked pay for third parties. Sports bookmakers and betting exchanges could not sign deals under which another person receives "ongoing payments based on customer losses", "trailing commissions based on customer wagering activity" or "revenue-sharing based on a customer's net losses". One-time referral fees not linked to later losses, and fixed payments for advertising, would still be allowed.
• Advertising and children. Wagering ads directed at children, showing children betting, or "likely to be available to children" would be banned.
• Higher penalties. The maximum monetary penalty would rise to the greater of 10% of a licensee's annual gross revenue or A$10 million. ABC News puts the current maximum at A$194,000.
• Tighter rules for the regulator. Members of the Northern Territory Wagering Commission would face new conflict-of-interest rules, a public register of declared conflicts and a ban on gifts from licensees.

What it would mean for bettors

If the bill passed in this form, customers of NT-licensed bookmakers would lose sign-up offers, bonus bets, deposit matches and VIP perks, wherever in Australia they live.

Bettors aged 18 to 24 would hit a monthly deposit ceiling. As drafted, that ceiling applies per bookmaker, not across all of them. A 20-year-old with accounts at three NT-licensed bookmakers could still deposit up to A$500 at each. iGaming Times made the same point.

The suspension rule is broad. Betting for more than two hours counts as one sign of harm, and two signs trigger a suspension that lasts until a set end date or until the bookmaker accepts a request to reinstate the account.

The draft amends the NT's Racing and Wagering Act 2024, so it applies to businesses licensed under that Act, including the online bookmakers and betting exchanges licensed in the Territory.

The ban on revenue-sharing based on net losses would also cover affiliate sites paid that way. Bonusjungle is an affiliate site.

Reactions

Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA), which ABC News describes as the industry's peak body with six members including Sportsbet, Bet365 and Unibet, opposes the bill. A spokesperson told ABC: "These proposals take a blunt, one-size-fits-all approach to a complex issue." RWA said the federal reforms passed in August should "be allowed to take effect", and claimed the proposals would "push Australians towards illegal offshore gambling sites".

NT Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby told ABC News the government would "consider all sensible proposals on their merits". She added: "But let me be clear: while we encourage all people to gamble responsibly, you can't legislate personal responsibility." In ABC's 9 October report, she also said the Country Liberal Party "won't risk pushing punters into the arms of unregulated offshore operators".

Davis told ABC that Shadow Racing Minister Chansey Paech had said Labor would support the bill. Deputy Opposition Leader Ed Smelt said Labor wanted it referred to the NT Legislative Scrutiny Committee first, ABC reported.

An open letter on Davis's website, dated 5 October, urges the NT Government to back the reforms. Its signatories include Aboriginal health and social service groups, the Alliance for Gambling Reform and federal parliamentarians including Andrew Wilkie and Senator David Pocock.

What happens next

The bill is scheduled for introduction on 14 October, according to ABC News and The Straight. The Straight reports that it would need the support of both major parties to pass. The text is a consultation draft, so the version introduced may differ.

For the federal rules RWA refers to, see Australia's federal gambling reforms, passed in August. For another country's attempt to end loss-based affiliate pay, see Denmark's bill L 37.

18+. If gambling has stopped feeling like a pastime, see responsible play. In Australia, the National Gambling Helpline is available 24/7 on 1800 858 858.