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Interactive Gambling Amendment (Ending Online Wagering on Greyhound Racing)

Current status

This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.

Policy area

Transport & communications

What does this bill do?

Online bettingBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. providers would no longer be able to rely on the gambling law exemptionA category in the online gambling law that leaves some racing bets outside the Act's main online betting restrictions. for bets on greyhound racing.

Why was it introduced?

Greyhound racing’s exemption from online gamblingBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. restrictions left an industry described as cruel, unpopular and declining propped up by online wageringBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. revenue. Andrew Wilkie MPAn elected representative in Parliament; Andrew Wilkie is the MP who introduced this bill.’s bill removes greyhound racing from the excluded wagering servicesA category in the online gambling law that leaves some racing bets outside the Act's main online betting restrictions. list, effectively banning online bettingBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. on greyhound races after a two-year transition.

Broader context

Online wageringBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. on greyhound racing remained allowed because greyhound races sat within the racing services excluded from the Interactive Gambling Act 2001The federal law this bill would change; it regulates online gambling services offered in Australia., even after the 2015 Four CornersAn ABC current affairs program whose 2015 report is cited as exposing cruelty in greyhound racing. exposé and New South Wales inquiryA formal investigation set up by a government; here it refers to the New South Wales inquiry into greyhound racing cruelty and welfare failures. put live baitingAn illegal training practice where live animals are used to make greyhounds chase or attack prey., mass killing and racing injuries in public view. As reports of record online-driven profits and later welfare allegations kept pressure on the industry, Andrew Wilkie MPAn elected representative in Parliament; Andrew Wilkie is the MP who introduced this bill. introduced a private bill to remove greyhound racing from that exemption after a two-year transition, but it was removed from the Notice PaperThe official parliamentary list of business waiting to be dealt with; removal from it meant this bill stopped progressing at that point. in June 2026.

Key criticism

The main reservation is practical: banning online greyhound betting could cut a key funding stream quickly, leaving jobs, racing bodies and dog rehoming plans exposed if the two-year transition is not enough. No party represented in the debate opposed the bill; the concern comes from the bill’s own transition design and public competition material describing wagering as central to racing funding.

Who supported it?

Andrew Wilkie MPAn elected representative in Parliament; Andrew Wilkie is the MP who introduced this bill. introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from some crossbench members.

Introduced in House 24 Nov 2025
Failed in House 30 June 2026
Did not reach Senate —
Did not become law —

Did it become law?

No

The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.

Final passage

No final passage

The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.

Time before failure

218 days

From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding

Official record

View on APH

Parliament of Australia bill page

Meaning

What does this bill do?

  1. Online bettingBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. providers would no longer be able to rely on the gambling law exemptionA category in the online gambling law that leaves some racing bets outside the Act's main online betting restrictions. for bets on greyhound racing.

  2. The practical effect would be to ban online gamblingBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. on greyhound races in Australia.

  3. Horse racing and harness racing would remain in the listed racing services excluded from the Interactive Gambling Act 2001The federal law this bill would change; it regulates online gambling services offered in Australia..

  4. The ban would start two years after Royal AssentThe formal approval by the Governor-General that turns a bill passed by Parliament into an Act., giving the greyhound racing industry time to plan for affected dogs as revenue falls.

  5. The bill is not expected to change Commonwealth spending or revenue.

Show source excerpts
  1. The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Ending Online Wagering on Greyhound Racing) Bill 2025 amends the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 to remove the exemption of greyhound racing from the list of excluded wagering services.
    Interactive Gambling Amendment (Ending Online Wagering on Greyhound Racing) explanatory memorandum
  2. Greyhound racing is a cruel, unpopular and declining industry which is propped up in Australia by revenue from online wagering. This bill would in effect ban online gambling on greyhound racing.
    Interactive Gambling Amendment (Ending Online Wagering on Greyhound Racing) explanatory memorandum
  3. These items amend subsection 8A(1) to remove greyhound racing from the list of racing wagering services which are excluded from the Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
    Interactive Gambling Amendment (Ending Online Wagering on Greyhound Racing) explanatory memorandum
  4. This clause provides for the commencement of the Act two years after it receives Royal Assent. This is to provide a reasonable timeframe for the industry to provide for the welfare of dogs which may be impacted by the reduced revenue.
    Interactive Gambling Amendment (Ending Online Wagering on Greyhound Racing) explanatory memorandum
  5. The bill will have no financial impact.
    Interactive Gambling Amendment (Ending Online Wagering on Greyhound Racing) explanatory memorandum

Context

Broader context for this bill

Online wageringBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. on greyhound racing remained allowed because greyhound races sat within the racing services excluded from the Interactive Gambling Act 2001The federal law this bill would change; it regulates online gambling services offered in Australia., even after the 2015 Four CornersAn ABC current affairs program whose 2015 report is cited as exposing cruelty in greyhound racing. exposé and New South Wales inquiryA formal investigation set up by a government; here it refers to the New South Wales inquiry into greyhound racing cruelty and welfare failures. put live baitingAn illegal training practice where live animals are used to make greyhounds chase or attack prey., mass killing and racing injuries in public view. As reports of record online-driven profits and later welfare allegations kept pressure on the industry, Andrew Wilkie MPAn elected representative in Parliament; Andrew Wilkie is the MP who introduced this bill. introduced a private bill to remove greyhound racing from that exemption after a two-year transition, but it was removed from the Notice PaperThe official parliamentary list of business waiting to be dealt with; removal from it meant this bill stopped progressing at that point. in June 2026.

  1. 2015

    Four CornersAn ABC current affairs program whose 2015 report is cited as exposing cruelty in greyhound racing. exposé and New South Wales inquiryA formal investigation set up by a government; here it refers to the New South Wales inquiry into greyhound racing cruelty and welfare failures. expose greyhound racing cruelty

    Parliamentary debate cited the 2015 ABC Four CornersAn ABC current affairs program whose 2015 report is cited as exposing cruelty in greyhound racing. program and a subsequent New South Wales special commission of inquiryA formal investigation set up by a government; here it refers to the New South Wales inquiry into greyhound racing cruelty and welfare failures. as documenting live baitingAn illegal training practice where live animals are used to make greyhounds chase or attack prey., mass killing of greyhounds, racing deaths, injuries and mistreatment.

    Hansard ↗
  2. 2016

    New South Wales greyhound racing ban is overturned

    Parliamentary debate said the then New South Wales premier moved to ban the industry after the inquiry, but the ban was soon overturned after political pressure to give the industry another chance to reform.

    Second reading speech ↗
  3. 10 Jan 2023

    Online wageringBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. is reported as driving record greyhound racing profits

    The Sydney Morning Herald reported that greyhound racing was reaping record profits, with an animal welfare advocate saying the industry would not exist without large amounts wagered online.

    Sydney Morning Herald ↗
  4. 2024

    Alex Brittan handover report alleges severe greyhound welfare failures

    Parliamentary debate cited a handover report by former New South Wales chief veterinary officer Dr Alex Brittan alleging dogs were raised at a 'barbaric' intensity, rehoming figures were inflated and some dogs were locked in metal cages.

    Second reading speech ↗
  5. 24 Nov 2025

    Andrew Wilkie MPAn elected representative in Parliament; Andrew Wilkie is the MP who introduced this bill. introduces bill to end online wageringBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. on greyhound racing

    The private member's billA bill introduced by an MP who is not acting for the government as a minister. sought to remove greyhound racing from the Interactive Gambling Act racing exemptionA category in the online gambling law that leaves some racing bets outside the Act's main online betting restrictions. while leaving horse and harness racing in place, with a two-year delay before the ban would start.

    Parliamentary timeline ↗
  6. 30 June 2026

    Bill is removed from the Notice PaperThe official parliamentary list of business waiting to be dealt with; removal from it meant this bill stopped progressing at that point.

    The parliamentary record shows the bill was removed from the Notice PaperThe official parliamentary list of business waiting to be dealt with; removal from it meant this bill stopped progressing at that point. under standing order 42A House of Representatives procedural rule used here to remove the bill from the Notice Paper., ending its recorded progress in the House at that point.

    Parliamentary timeline ↗

Legislative route

How did it move through Parliament?

House Senate
Introduced 24 Nov 2025

The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.

Introduced and read a first time

Second reading opened 24 Nov 2025

A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.

Second reading moved

Removed from the Notice PaperThe official parliamentary list of business waiting to be dealt with; removal from it meant this bill stopped progressing at that point. in accordance with (SO 42) 30 June 2026

The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.

Key criticism

The main case against this bill

The main reservation is practical: banning online greyhound betting could cut a key funding stream quickly, leaving jobs, racing bodies and dog rehoming plans exposed if the two-year transition is not enough. No party represented in the debate opposed the bill; the concern comes from the bill’s own transition design and public competition material describing wagering as central to racing funding.

Criticism was limited and mainly about transition risk, not a recorded defence of greyhound racing.

Funding and transition shock

The bill is designed to reduce greyhound racing revenue by removing online wageringBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races., but that creates a practical risk that the industry contracts faster than welfare and rehoming arrangements can absorb. ACCCThe national competition and consumer regulator, cited here for information about how wagering and TAB money fund racing. material has described TABsA betting operator or totalisator business that takes bets on racing and sport, with some wagering revenue flowing back to racing bodies. and wagering fees as primary funding sources for racing, making the transition period a key implementation issue.

Raised by Implementation risk reflected in ACCC wagering industry material and the bill’s two-year transition approach Source ↗

Further sources

accc.gov.au ↗

Votes

Recorded votes

No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.

Parliamentary debate

Who spoke, and what they said

Start here — lead voices

Sponsor speech Supports

Andrew Wilkie

Independent • MP 24 Nov 2025

Andrew Wilkie strongly supports the bill, saying online bettingBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. is what keeps the greyhound racing industry alive and that banning it would help shut down a system built on cruelty and animal deaths.

Read in Hansard ↗
Lead non-major voice Supports

Sophie Scamps

Independent • MP 24 Nov 2025

Sophie Scamps supports the bill and says online wageringBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. on greyhound racing should end because the industry remains cruel and has failed to reform after years of promises.

Read in Hansard ↗

All speeches by bloc

Minor parties and independents

2 speakers · 2 support

  1. Andrew Wilkie ★ Andrew Wilkie strongly supports the bill, saying online bettingBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. is what keeps the greyhound racing industry alive and that banning it would help shut down a system built on cruelty and animal deaths.
    “Which brings me to the purpose of this refreshingly straightforward bill, simply to amend the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 to remove the exemption for wagering services which relate to betting on greyhound racing. In effect, this would end online wagering on greyhound racing and hasten the demise of the industry.”

    Independent • MP • 24 Nov 2025

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
  2. Sophie Scamps ★ Sophie Scamps supports the bill and says online wageringBetting over the internet or apps; on this page it mainly means online bets on greyhound races. on greyhound racing should end because the industry remains cruel and has failed to reform after years of promises.
    “If we want to ensure that the way we treat animals reflects modern Australian values, then this outdated and cruel practice must stop. Australians want this industry to stop, so I commend this bill to the House to end online wagering on greyhound racing.”

    Independent • MP • 24 Nov 2025

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗

Record

Full record

Full chat