What Is the VIP Account Manager Commission Ban About?

The VIP account manager commission ban is part of Australia’s new gambling reforms. Here’s why commission pay was flagged as harmful, and what changes.

The VIP account manager commission ban might sound like one of the more technical parts of Australia’s new gambling reforms, but for high-spending punters, it could have a major impact. Labor and the Coalition have backed rules that remove bonus bets and hospitality perks for vulnerable players. They also stop operators from paying VIP account managers commission based on how much their customers spend or lose.

That change goes to the heart of how VIP programs work and raises a bigger question for Aussie punters. What happens when the person looking after your account has a financial reason to keep you betting? This article breaks down the commission ban, why the government is introducing it, and what it could mean for VIP players and online gambling operators in Australia.

Key Insights: VIP Account Manager Commission Ban

• VIP account managers at Australian gambling platforms have historically been paid, at least partly, on commission tied to how much their assigned high-value customers deposit or lose.
• That structure gives a staff member a direct financial incentive to keep a customer betting, even when the customer shows signs of harm.
• The new reform bans commission-based pay for these roles outright.
• Bonus bets and hospitality perks aimed at “vulnerable players” are also being eliminated under the same package.
• The change targets the incentive structure behind VIP schemes, not just the perks themselves.

What a VIP Account Manager Actually Does

Australian wagering operators assign dedicated account managers, sometimes called VIP hosts, to their highest-value customers. These staff members build a personal relationship with the player: checking in, offering tailored promotions, arranging event tickets or hospitality, and generally making the customer feel looked after. On the surface, it looks like customer service. The concern regulators have raised is about how that role has typically been paid.

The VIP Account Manager Commission Ban, and Why It Exists

Under the previous model, part of a VIP manager’s income could be tied to the performance of their assigned customer base, meaning deposits, turnover, or net losses. That’s a completely standard sales incentive structure in most industries. Applied to gambling, though, it creates a direct conflict of interest. The more a customer loses, the better it can be for the account manager’s pay. A manager who notices a client showing signs of distress, chasing losses, or gambling outside their means has, under a commission model, a financial reason not to intervene.

This isn’t a uniquely Australian concern. The UK’s Gambling Commission reached the same conclusion back in 2020, tightening rules around VIP or “high value customer” schemes after finding they were being used in ways that could exploit at-risk gamblers. Following those changes, the number of UK customers enrolled in VIP schemes reportedly dropped by around 90%. This gives a sense of how central commission-driven incentives were to how those programs operated.

The Australian ban addresses this directly by removing commission as an allowable pay structure for VIP account managers. Under the reform, these roles need to be paid in a way that doesn’t create a personal financial stake in a customer’s losses.

What Counted as a “Perk” Before This

Alongside the commission ban, the reform eliminates bonus bets and hospitality perks specifically for players flagged as vulnerable. In practice, VIP programs have offered things like matched bonus bets, free tickets to major sporting events, corporate box access, and other non-cash inducements to keep high-spending customers engaged. None of that is illegal in general terms, but when it’s targeted at someone already showing signs of harm, the same conflict applies.  A perk that keeps a struggling player betting benefits the operator’s bottom line at the player’s expense.

A Real-World Example of Why This Matters

Picture a customer who’s been betting heavily for months, missing self-set limits, and showing the kind of pattern a responsible operator should flag for intervention. Under the old model, that customer’s VIP manager had two competing incentives: escalate the concern or keep the relationship warm because the customer’s continued losses are good for the manager’s commission. Removing commission from the equation doesn’t guarantee better behaviour, but it removes the direct financial reward for looking the other way.

A Common Misconception

It’s tempting to assume this ban means VIP programs themselves are gone. They’re not. Operators can still offer premium service to high-value customers. What’s changed is how the staff running those programs get paid, and what can be offered to players already flagged as vulnerable. The distinction matters: this is an incentive-structure reform, not a ban on VIP treatment altogether.

What This Means for Players

If you’re a high-value customer with a dedicated account manager, a few practical things to know.

• Your account manager’s pay is no longer tied to how much you personally deposit or lose, which should reduce pressure to keep you betting.
• If you’ve been flagged as vulnerable under an operator’s responsible gambling monitoring, expect fewer targeted bonus bet offers and hospitality invitations going forward.
• This doesn’t replace your own tools. Setting deposit and loss limits, registering with the National Self-Exclusion Register (NSER), or using BetStop are still the most direct ways to control your own exposure, regardless of how VIP staff are incentivised.

The Bigger Picture

The VIP account manager commission ban is a narrow-sounding provision that gets at something broader. Gambling harm often isn’t just about advertising or access, it’s about who’s financially rewarded for a player’s losses, and how directly. Fixing the incentive structure behind VIP relationships is a quieter reform than an ad ban, but it targets a mechanism that’s been flagged as genuinely harmful in comparable markets overseas.

For the full rundown of the bill’s other provisions, see our coverage of the gambling reform bill passing parliament. If you want to understand your options for limiting your own gambling, our responsible gambling page covers the tools available in Australia.

VIP Account Manager Commission Ban FAQs

Does the VIP account manager commission ban mean VIP programs are banned entirely?

No. Operators can still run VIP programs and offer premium service. What’s banned is paying account managers on commission tied to a customer’s deposits or losses.

Why was commission-based pay for VIP managers considered a problem?

It gave staff a direct financial incentive to keep high-spending customers betting, even when a customer showed signs of harm, since the manager’s income depended on the customer’s activity.

Are bonus bets banned for all players under this reform?

The elimination applies specifically to bonus bets and hospitality perks aimed at players who’ve been flagged as vulnerable, not a blanket ban on bonus bets for every customer.

Has a commission ban like this worked in other countries?

The UK introduced similar restrictions on VIP schemes in 2020, after which enrolment in these schemes reportedly dropped by around 90%, suggesting commission incentives were central to how the programs previously operated.

What should I do if I think a VIP program encouraged me to bet more than I intended?

Consider setting firm deposit and loss limits, registering with the National Self-Exclusion Register (NSER), or using BetStop to self-exclude from participating licensed operators.

18+ | Gamble Responsibly. Visit Gambling Help Online (gamblinghelponline.org.au) or call 1800 858 858 for free, confidential support. You can also register with BetStop (betstop.gov.au), Australia’s national self-exclusion register.

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