In July 2026, the UK Gambling Commission announced that it would introduce a requirement for operators to carry out Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs) on certain customers through a staged implementation process. This marks a shift in the approach to assessing gambling harm by requiring operators to consider customers’ financial circumstances alongside existing indicators of gambling risk.

This week the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 (Bill) took a decisive step toward becoming law. Following the report of the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee, tabled on 17 August 2026, the Government and the Opposition agreed a package of amendments, and the amended Bill passed the House of Representatives on 18 August 2026. The Bill is now before the Senate, where it is expected to be considered before the sitting week closes. The amendments materially strengthen the package, and operators across the sector now have a narrow window to prepare.

There has been significant discussion regarding the Federal Government’s Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 (Bill) over recent weeks, including at last week’s Labor Party national conference. Although it would appear that the Government will not endorse the establishment of a dedicated national gambling regulator as some members had advocated for, the Government will continue to evaluate measures designed to address the perceived harms of gambling inducements.