CANBERRA, July 2 -- Three years ago, the late MP Peta Murphy handed the Australian government a report recommending a total ban on gambling advertising. This week, her successors in government finally put a bill before parliament, and neither side of the chamber that actually wanted reform was satisfied with what arrived.

Communications Minister Anika Wells introduced the Interactive Gambling Amendment legislation, capping television gambling advertisements at three per hour between 6am and 8.30pm, banning ads entirely during live sport broadcasts within that window, phasing out signage on stadiums and jerseys, restricting radio ads during school pickup hours, and moving online advertising to an opt-in model for logged-in adult users. We...