What happened
The Lottery Office is closing its affiliate program on October 21, 2026. The notice is not framed as an Australia-only affiliate shutdown. Instead, it says the affiliate program will cease and existing affiliate partnerships will be wound down, which means the safest interpretation is that the closure applies across the program rather than only to affiliates in one country.
The regulatory trigger is Australian. The timing is linked to changes in Australian federal legislation affecting foreign matched lotteries from January 1, 2027. That broader policy shift is changing how certain lottery-related products can be marketed and distributed in Australia.
In practical terms, the biggest commercial impact is likely to be on affiliates sending traffic from Australia and New Zealand, which were the program’s core player markets.
Why it matters
Affiliate program closures can have an immediate commercial impact. When a program ends, publishers can lose a revenue stream, existing promotional content can become outdated, and tracking links may stop generating commission.
For affiliates in gambling, lottery and betting niches, this is also another reminder that regulation can directly reshape partner availability. Programs in tightly regulated markets can change quickly when licensing, advertising or product rules move.
The key geographic distinction is important: the affiliate program closure appears to affect all affiliate partnerships, while the regulatory reason is Australian. The strongest traffic impact is likely to fall on affiliates targeting Australia and New Zealand.
The most important distinction remains that The Lottery Office affiliate program is closing. This should not be described as a shutdown of The Lottery Office itself.
What affiliates should know
Affiliates should audit any active promotion of The Lottery Office now.
- Assume the affiliate-program closure applies to existing partners regardless of where the affiliate is based unless The Lottery Office provides partner-specific instructions saying otherwise.
- Prioritise updates on pages and campaigns targeting Australia and New Zealand, where the commercial impact is likely to be greatest.
- Check whether old affiliate links are still live on your website, social channels or email campaigns.
- Review outstanding commissions and any final payment terms in your affiliate agreement.
- Remove or update calls to action that suggest the affiliate program is still open.
- Replace the program with relevant alternatives where appropriate, but verify each alternative’s licensing and market availability first.
For publishers with SEO traffic, do not simply delete established pages. If a page already ranks, consider updating it with a clear program-closure notice and redirecting users toward current, relevant options. That can preserve search value while keeping the information accurate.
Bottom line: this is a genuine affiliate-program closure with direct implications for publishers who relied on The Lottery Office for commission revenue. The program shutdown appears to apply across affiliate partnerships, while the underlying regulatory cause is Australian and the largest traffic impact is likely in Australia and New Zealand.