Wilkie's online greyhound betting ban lapsed without a vote
Andrew Wilkie, an independent MP, wanted to stop Australians betting online on greyhound races. In June 2026 the bill was dropped from the House of Representatives' to-do list without a vote.
Official name: Interactive Gambling Amendment (Ending Online Wagering on Greyhound Racing) Bill 2025
- Gambling law lets people bet online on horse, harness and greyhound races. This is a special let-off from a wider ban.
- This bill would have taken greyhound racing off that list. That would in effect ban online betting on it.
- The ban would have started two years after the bill became law. This gave the industry time to look after the dogs.
- The bill was dropped from the House's to-do list on 30 June 2026. It did not become law.
Who it affects
- People who bet on greyhound races online: They could no longer have placed those bets through online betting services.
- Online betting companies: They could no longer have offered online bets on greyhound racing in Australia.
- The greyhound racing industry: It would have lost money from online betting. It would have had two years to get ready.
- Greyhounds: The bill gave the industry two years to plan how to care for dogs hit by the loss of money.
- People who bet on horse or harness races online: Nothing would have changed for them.
Greyhound betting exempt from ban
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 is the national law on gambling over the internet and phone. It bans many kinds of online gambling.
Some kinds of betting are left out of that ban. The law calls them excluded wagering services. Wagering just means betting. Betting on horse racing, harness racing (where horses pull a small cart) and greyhound racing is on that list. That is why you can bet on these races in an online betting app.
Andrew Wilkie wrote notes to explain his bill. They call greyhound racing a cruel and unpopular industry that is shrinking. They say it is kept alive by money from online betting.
Who brought the bill
This was a private bill. That means it did not come from the government. Andrew Wilkie MP brought it into the House of Representatives on 24 November 2025.
Greyhounds off the list
The bill made two small changes to section 8A of the law. It took greyhound racing off the list of races people can bet on online.
It also changed the words "any or all" to "either or both". This was a tidy-up. Only two kinds of racing would be left on the list. They are horse racing and harness racing.
Once greyhound racing was off the list, online betting on it would fall under the law's general ban. Mr Wilkie's notes say this would in effect ban online betting on greyhound racing.
Say you use a betting app to put $10 on a dog race on a Saturday night. After the change, the app could no longer take that bet. A bet on a horse race in the same app would still be allowed.
Planned start
The ban would have started two years and one day after the bill became law. A bill becomes law when the Governor-General, the King's representative, signs it.
Mr Wilkie's notes say the two-year wait would give the industry time to care for dogs. Some dogs could be hit by the drop in money.
Dropped after time ran out
Mr Wilkie brought in the bill on 24 November 2025. That day he also started the debate on its main idea.
The bill was never voted on. On 30 June 2026 it was dropped from the House's to-do list. This was under standing order 42, one of the House's own rules. That rule clears out bills from MPs outside the government that have not been debated for a set time.
The bill will not become law in this form.
Its journey through Parliament
| 24 Nov 2025 | House of Representatives: Introduced and read a first time |
| 24 Nov 2025 | House of Representatives: Second reading moved |
| 30 Jun 2026 | House of Representatives: Removed from the Notice Paper in accordance with (SO 42) |