Key points
- Independent MLA Justine Davis’s private member’s bill would cap monthly deposits at A$500 for ages 18 to 21 and A$1,000 for ages 22 to 24.
- Inducements such as bonus bets and VIP schemes would be banned outright for online bookmakers licensed in the Northern Territory.
- The maximum disciplinary penalty would rise from A$194,000 to A$10 million or 10% of annual revenue.
- About 50 bookmakers hold NT licences, including Sportsbet, Ladbrokes and Bet365.
- The bill was due to be introduced on 14 October 2026; Responsible Wagering Australia opposes it.
Justine Davis, an independent member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, has proposed an NT gambling bill that would cap monthly deposits for customers aged 18 to 24 and ban inducements outright for online bookmakers licensed in the Territory, ABC News reported on 8 October 2026. About 50 bookmakers hold NT licences.
What the NT gambling bill would change
The bill sets monthly deposit limits of A$500 for customers aged 18 to 21 and A$1,000 for those aged 22 to 24, according to ABC News. It bans inducements outright, a category that includes bonus bets and VIP schemes. Gambling.com gives the title as the Racing and Wagering Amendment (Harm Prevention) Bill.
NT-licensed bookmakers would also carry a legal duty to take “all reasonable steps to prevent harm to customers”, ABC reported. The maximum disciplinary penalty rises from A$194,000 to A$10 million or 10% of annual revenue, and the bill bans advertisements “likely to be available to children”.
Davis also targets the regulator. The bill adds stricter conflict-of-interest rules for the Northern Territory Racing and Wagering Commission, a public register of declared conflicts and a ban on commission members accepting gifts from bookmakers. Earlier in 2026 the NT government passed laws that bar commissioners from owning racehorses or holding betting accounts with NT-licensed bookmakers, ABC reported.
Davis, the independent member for Johnston, said “we can actually show some leadership in the Northern Territory”.
Bookmakers affected
ABC named Sportsbet, Ladbrokes and Bet365 among the roughly 50 online bookmakers licensed in the NT. Many national operators hold their licences in the Territory, so changes to NT rules would reach their customers across Australia, according to ABC.
Responsible Wagering Australia (RWA), the peak body for online gambling companies, has six members including Sportsbet, Bet365 and Unibet, ABC reported on 9 October. More coverage of Australian operators and rules is in EpicWins’ Australia stories, its iGaming regulation news and Oceania coverage.
Reactions
A letter urging the NT government to back the bill was signed by 33 advocacy organisations and leaders, including several federal MPs, ABC reported. Independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie said the bill “attempted to do what the federal government has so far failed to do”. Territory Labor has said it will support the bill.
An RWA spokesperson said the proposals “risk undermining rather than strengthening Australia’s consumer protection framework” and called them a “blunt, one-size-fits-all approach”, according to ABC’s report of 9 October. RWA argued that age-based deposit limits and a promotions ban ignore differences in adults’ financial circumstances and risk levels. It said the proposals could push Australians toward illegal offshore sites with no deposit limits and no Australian consumer protections.
NT Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby said the Country Liberal Party government would consider Davis’s proposals and “won’t risk pushing punters into the arms of unregulated offshore operators”, according to the same report.
Next steps
ABC reported on 8 October that Davis would introduce the bill to parliament the following Wednesday, 14 October. Deputy Opposition Leader Ed Smelt said Labor wants it referred to the NT Legislative Scrutiny Committee.
The bill follows a 2023 federal parliamentary inquiry led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, which recommended banning inducements and creating a national regulator, according to ABC. Federal reforms passed in August 2026 restrict inducements and advertising. RWA said those reforms should be “allowed to take effect” next year.
