Election candidate, Nick Xenophon, calls for stricter regulation on gambling advertisements in Australia as well as a total ban on sponsorships with sporting clubs. The ex South Australian senator believes that gambling ads should be allowed the same airtime as ads promoting alcohol.
A recent study has revealed that the number of gambling ads in Victoria has expanded drastically in the last five years. What is more, in 2021, the industry has spent about $287.2 million on gambling advertisements across Australia. When compared to the estimates for 2020, we can see that the amount that was spent on gambling ads last year was $15.9 million more than the year before that.
Nick Xenophon Calls for Changes in Gambling Advertisement Airtime and Sporting Club Sponsorships
Currently, there is a ban on any gambling advertisements during the live broadcasts of sporting events before 8:30 PM. This ban is in effect ever since 2018 but sportsbooks are finding loopholes to still reach their target audience in Australia. In addition to that, there are also some restrictions applied to the advertisements that are aired during G-rated programmes broadcasted during specific time slots. Unfortunately, these restrictions also turned out to be rather ineffective.
According to Xenophon, gambling ads must be aired following the same system that applies to ads promoting alcoholic beverages. Currently, alcohol ads run on TV only during the time slots between 12 PM and 3 PM on school days and between 8:30 PM and 5 AM Monday through Sunday. Meanwhile, there are no such restrictions imposed on gambling ads as they can run at any time of the day, with children’s programmes, sports programmes, news, and current affairs being the only broadcasts during which gambling ads are not allowed to be aired.
Gambling Advertisements Cost Millions, Xenophon Call for Absolute Ban on Sporing Club Sponsorships
Recent data shows that the number of gambling ads aired on TV in Victoria has increased significantly in the last five years. What is more, the amount that is spent on such advertisements is also increasing with each year.
According to a Nielsen institute report, since 2016, the number of gambling ads has surged by 253%. Results from research appointed by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation show that in 2021, an average of 948 gambling ads were broadcasted on TV in Victoria every day. Meanwhile, the amount spent on gambling ads reached $287.2 million in 2021. This amount exceeds the budget that was spent on gambling advertisements in 2020 by $15.9 million.
Xenophone believes that sportsbooks must give 20% of the budget they spend on advertising to a dedicated fund that is used for combating gambling-related harm. In addition to stricter regulation on the air time for gambling ads, Xenophon also calls for the absolute ban of sponsorships with Australian sporting clubs. The former senator believes that Australia should follow the example set by countries like Italy and Spain and cut off all sponsorships between Aussie sporting clubs and gambling businesses.
- Author
Daniel Williams
