Sportsbet referendum: Voice betting, odds and the 2017 survey

Did Sportsbet offer Voice referendum betting?

On 4 September 2023, The Guardian reported that Sportsbet had confirmed it would not open betting on the Voice referendum. The report was published before Australians voted on 14 October.

That dated statement is the clearest available evidence of Sportsbet’s position. The research for this article did not locate verified Sportsbet Voice odds, market-specific settlement terms or a settlement decision. It does not establish what might have appeared on every date or in any unpublished market.

A betting market is an operator’s set of offered outcomes for a particular event. It is separate from the official vote and its administration. One bookmaker’s decision about a market also does not establish what every other bookmaker did: The Guardian reported that a different operator, BlueBet, had offered a Voice market.

The report did not provide a confirmed explanation from Sportsbet for its position. Suggestions about the company’s motives should therefore be treated as speculation, not as its stated reason.

What was the official Voice referendum result?

On 14 October 2023, Australians voted on a proposed constitutional alteration to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. The proposal was not carried. It was a vote about constitutional change, not a vote about gambling.

The Australian Electoral Commission’s final national figures show the following formal votes:

• Yes: 6,286,894 votes, or 39.94%.
• No: 9,452,792 votes, or 60.06%.
• States with a Yes majority: none of the six.

Why the double majority mattered

A constitutional referendum requires a double majority to pass: more than half of formal votes nationally must be Yes, and a majority of voters in at least four of the six states must vote Yes. Territory votes count towards the national total, but territories are not states for the second test.

The 2023 proposal met neither requirement. These are the AEC’s official electoral results; they are not evidence that Sportsbet offered, settled or paid a bet on the referendum. A vote result and a bookmaker’s treatment of a wager are different records.

The separate 2017 marriage postal survey

Readers may recall Sportsbet offering betting on a national Yes-or-No question because of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey in 2017. ABC News reported that Sportsbet offered novelty markets on the survey, including markets for the final result and the number of Yes votes cast. Sportsbet withdrew the markets after criticism.

The postal survey was not a constitutional referendum. It was conducted under the Census and Statistics Act 1905 and asked about changing the law to allow same-sex couples to marry. On 15 November 2017, the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced that 61.6% of respondents supported that change.

The distinction matters when interpreting a search result or old betting screenshot. A 2017 Sportsbet survey market does not establish that Sportsbet offered a market on the 2023 Voice. Likewise, the ABS survey result cannot establish how Sportsbet treated any individual wager.

• 2023 Voice: a constitutional referendum; Sportsbet was reported before the vote to have said it would not open a market; the proposal was not carried.
• 2017 marriage postal survey: a survey about changing marriage law; Sportsbet offered and then withdrew markets; 61.6% of respondents supported the change.

What do the available odds show?

No Sportsbet referendum odds for the 2023 Voice were verified in the research for this article. A price associated with another bookmaker, or with the 2017 postal survey, cannot be used as a substitute.

For context, The Guardian reported that BlueBet opened a Voice market in June 2023 and quoted Yes at $1.70 at opening. That was a historical BlueBet price, not a Sportsbet quote. The report does not establish a precise opening day in June or the prices available throughout the campaign.

Australian bookmakers commonly express prices as decimal odds. A quoted decimal price represents the return per dollar staked on a winning bet, generally including the original stake. Dividing one by the decimal price gives a rough implied probability, before allowing for the bookmaker’s margin.

An implied probability is not an official forecast or a guarantee. Prices can change, and a historical quote says nothing by itself about whether a market is available now.

What is known about settlement?

Settlement is the process by which a provider applies the relevant market conditions to determine how a wager is treated. Depending on the applicable terms and decision, a bet record may show a result, a void or another outcome. The official outcome of an event alone does not tell a customer which treatment was applied.

No Sportsbet Voice market-specific settlement decision was found in the supplied research. For the 2017 postal survey, ABC documented the withdrawal of Sportsbet’s markets, but its report does not establish what happened to every previously accepted wager. Withdrawal alone does not prove that bets were refunded.

Sportsbet publishes general sports and novelties rules, but its current rules are not evidence of the terms or decisions applied to either historical event. Someone with a question about an actual wager should seek the decision and terms relevant to that bet.

• Check the bet record for the event, selection, date and recorded settlement.
• Ask Sportsbet for the applicable market terms and an explanation of its decision.
• If the issue remains disputed, consider contacting the relevant regulator. A review does not guarantee a payment or refund.

Current availability and gambling support in Australia

No current Sportsbet referendum market was independently verified in the research. On 5 November 2026, the accessible text of Sportsbet’s novelties and entertainment page did not contain the word “referendum”. That check could have missed dynamically loaded, account-specific or geographically restricted markets, so it is not a complete live inventory. Check the provider’s current information rather than relying on a historical report.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority’s operator register lists Sportsbet Pty Ltd as licensed by the Northern Territory Racing and Wagering Commission. An operator’s listing does not establish that a particular market is authorised or available in every circumstance. Sportsbet says customers must be 18 or older to open an account or gamble with it.

Since 11 June 2024, Australian online and telephone wagering operators have been prohibited from accepting certain forms of payment for betting accounts, including credit-card deposits, credit-card-linked funds such as digital wallets, and digital currency, according to ACMA.

• Gambling Help Online: call 1800 858 858 for free, confidential support at any time. The service also supports family and friends affected by gambling.
• BetStop: the national self-exclusion register for online and telephone wagering. ACMA provides information about how the register works.

FAQ

Did Sportsbet offer betting on the 2023 Voice referendum?

In September 2023, The Guardian reported that Sportsbet had confirmed it would not open a market. No Sportsbet Voice odds or settlement record were verified in the research, although the dated report does not establish every possible market or date.

What were the Sportsbet referendum odds?

No Sportsbet odds for the 2023 Voice were verified. The Guardian reported a historical BlueBet price, but BlueBet is a different operator. Sportsbet’s documented 2017 market concerned the separate marriage postal survey.

What was the official Voice referendum result?

The proposal was not carried. The AEC’s final national count recorded 60.06% No and 39.94% Yes among formal votes, and no state recorded a Yes majority. Those are electoral figures, not a Sportsbet settlement.

Was the 2017 marriage postal survey a referendum?

No. It was a postal survey about changing marriage law, not a constitutional referendum. The ABS reported that 61.6% of respondents supported changing the law to allow same-sex couples to marry.

Were bets on the 2017 survey refunded when Sportsbet withdrew its markets?

The available ABC report confirms that the markets were withdrawn, but does not establish how existing wagers were treated. A customer with a historical wager can check the bet record and applicable terms and ask the provider for its decision.

Can Australians currently bet on a referendum with Sportsbet?

No current Sportsbet referendum market was independently verified in the research. An accessible-page check on 5 November 2026 was incomplete and could have missed some markets, so check current provider information rather than relying on historical prices.

Where can someone get gambling support?

Gambling Help Online’s helpline is available on 1800 858 858, free and confidential, 24 hours a day. BetStop is Australia’s national self-exclusion register for online and telephone wagering.