Did Anthony Albanese kill Peter V’landys’ chances of a $4 billion deal?

April 2, 2026 — 6:30pm

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When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese finally acted on portions of the last great legacy bequeathed by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy after more than 1000 days, he went further than many thought.

Albanese’s suite of reforms, which includes a ban on betting companies’ ads featuring celebrities or appearing on sporting jerseys and in stadiums, stops short of Murphy’s call for a complete prohibition on online gambling ads.

But in the context of Albanese’s prime ministership, characterised at times by risk aversion and an unwillingness to make too many enemies, the reforms are notable because of the people they are likely to antagonise.

Chief among them is the Australian Rugby League Commission’s powerful chairman, Peter V’landys. He personally lobbied the prime minister hard against implementing a gambling ad ban (which he called “nanny state ideology”) and is currently seeking to negotiate a record-breaking $4 billion........

© Brisbane Times