Children in the state of Victoria are exposed to a large number of gambling ads as sports betting operators have been literally bombarding local TV channels with an average of over 900 adverts per day, as reported by the state’s official adviser on gambling-related harm.
According to a report issued by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF), as a result, Victorian children and young adults have started associating gambling with sport. The discussion paper released a week ago states that a decision to put some restrictions on gambling advertising during live sports events from April 2018 triggered a 50% increase in such adverts during other programmes, mostly aired between 6:00 PM and 10:30 PM.
The aforementioned discussion paper noted that the restrictions have resulted in a higher concentration of gambling ads in general programming rather than actually reducing the volume of gambling advertising. According to the report, the intention to protect underage individuals who watched live sports had been offset by the increase in the number of gambling advertisements shown across a large number of other television programmes and during times when children would be watching.
The findings shared by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation are expected to put the Government of Premier Daniel Andrews under even more pressure as other jurisdictions progress with their calls to put more restrictions on the gambling industry.
About a week ago, Premier Andrews shared that he would not stand in the way of a nation-wide push for stricter rules on sports betting advertising. A federal parliamentary inquiry is expected to unveil its findings and make recommendations on the matter by mid-2023. The states of New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland have told the investigation that the existing rules are not sufficient to ensure better protection for customers, while South Australia has suggested that a full ban on sports betting advertising should be taken into consideration. The state of Victoria has not made a submission so far.
Spending on Gambling Ads Rises Several Times over the 11 Years to 2021
Gaming Minister Melissa Horne has shared an opinion that more could be done to restrict children’s exposure to gambling products, admitting that excessive advertising had normalised online gambling among underage individuals and young adults. According to Ms Horne, a nation-wide approach would be the best way to face the problem. She, however, has refused to share her thoughts and recommendations on the issue.
According to the aforementioned report, sports betting adverts had seen a 320% increase to AU$287.2 million over the 11-year period to 2021. It found that spending on gambling advertising in the state of Victoria was more than three times larger than the spending on alcohol advertising, with an average of 948 gambling ads being aired per day, with more than 50% of these adverts being broadcast between 9:00 AM and 8:30 PM.
The report noted that sports betting has increasingly become a widely normalised concept for young people across Australia. A spokesperson for the VRGC shared that the purpose of the recently issued discussion paper was to allow the Government, industry, and the community to review all the available evidence when it came to online gambling.
These findings were, however, turned down by the CEO of the body that represents local TV outlets, Free TV Australia. According to Bridget Fair, who currently heads the organisation, the report presented information that was untrue, with the true number of adverts seen by Australians on commercial television channels being intentionally “inflated”. Ms Fair shared that the presented figure of 948 gambling adverts per day could only be reached by adding together six broadcasts in six different advertising submarkets in the state of Victoria simultaneously, which is practically impossible to be covered by a single person.
According to the CEO of Free TV Australia, any further restrictions and regulations on the sector would have a negative impact on local broadcasting groups’ ability to provide free-to-air services.
- Author
Daniel Williams
