Following the passage of Australia’s biggest gambling reform package in years, the news headlines have been predominantly dominated by the marketing aspect.
One other significant change has therefore remained somewhat in the shadows – the ban of foreign-matched lotteries and online keno offers.
For those who are not aware, foreign-matched lotteries are a popular product in the Australian market that give players the opportunity to partake in major lottery draws abroad, such as the US Powerball or Euromillions, testing out their luck for the chance to win life-changing jackpots.
Australia-based firms use agents based internationally to buy a ticket in the respective overseas draw and copy the selection of numbers that the player has paid for back home.
However, while a licensed vertical as of now, the latest reforms will officially prohibit foreign-matched lotteries from the start of next year.
Prompted by Lottery Daily to comment on the decision of PM Anthony Albanese’s government, The Lottery Office – one of four companies that offer foreign-matched draws – expressed disappointment in the direction that the political discourse has taken.
“On Wednesday 19 August, the Albanese Labor government passed legislation as part of their Gambling Reform package, which includes a ban on foreign matched lotteries,” The Lottery Office said.
“We have engaged constructively with the government for the past three years in regard to gambling reforms and we are extremely disappointed with the outcome, which limits consumer choice and has no basis in harm reduction.
“The legislation takes effect from 1 January 2027, so until then it is business as usual for The Lottery Office and our customers.”
There are also lottery stakeholders on the opposite side of the argument, who view the changes as fully in line with the principles of healthy competition.
The Lottery Corporation – the largest lottery company in Australia – has publicly backed the Albanese cabinet.
Speaking to Lottery Daily, a senior representative said: “We supported the legislation in line with our preference for competing in well-regulated markets with clear and consistent rules.”
Prior to the reforms being voted on, Wayne Pickup, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Lottery Corporation, appeared at a parliamentary hearing on 4 August.
And while abstaining from outright mentioning foreign-matched lotteries directly, his comments were enough to show where he stands on the matter.
“Our concern is consistency,” Pickup said. “Consistency means that a product sold to Australians as a lottery should carry the obligations of a lottery and the places where it is sold.
“Australia’s lottery market is regulated by design to protect consumers, to safeguard integrity and to return money to the community. A licensed lottery operator carries real obligations: responsible gaming, security, auditing, probity, guaranteed prize funding and public returns.
“That is the price of a licence and it is why people trust a lottery ticket.”
Interestingly, The Lottery Office recently accused The Lottery Corporation of lobbying the government against foreign-matched lotteries. The accusations have so far not been directly addressed by the latter.
Still, the newly-introduced reforms will also hit The Lottery Corporation through the ban of online Keno. This was addressed during the company’s FY26 results call, where CEO Pickup confirmed that plans to mitigate the financial impact are already in motion.
He added: “The full year impact of discontinuing online Keno for us would be circa AUD $25m (£13.2m) of EBITDA based on FY26. Our response is to double down on Keno in licensed venues. We have longstanding relationships with venues and we’re well and truly embedded in the eastern seaboard pub and club ecosystem.”