A total ban on gambling ads would not be as simple to implement as previous bans on tobacco advertising, the communications minister says.
Michelle Rowland said the government was still working through changes to laws regulating gambling ads, after a parliamentary committee recommended they be phased out within three years.
In a speech at the National Press Club, Ms Rowland said no decisions had been made on how the report's recommendations would be carried out.
"(A total ban of gambling ads online) is often proposed, it is one that is used in relation to the banning of tobacco ads many years ago," she said.
"The reality is, over the years, the gambling industry and sport for example, the relationship has very much changed. We know that the impact of gambling ads is felt right across the community."
Ms Rowland said there would be a harm minimisation approach for any online gambling reform.
The minister said while the reforms would focus on how gambling ads affect vulnerable Australians, it would also look at the effect on children.
"One thing that we have been very focused on in understanding from advocacy and other experts is how harmful this is for children, where it appears and what steps can be taken in response," Ms Rowland said.
"It is the platforms themselves who know more about their consumers than governments and regulators ever will, so we are continually looking at ways in which we can utilise the basic online safety expectations."
Ms Rowland revealed 13,000 Australians had signed up to the new self-exclusion register for online betting since it was launched in August.
Of those, about 50 per cent are aged between 18 and 30, while 40 per cent of users have opted to self-exclude for life.
The government has introduced legislation to ban the use of credit cards for online gambling.
