The Federal Government of Australia has been called to grasp an extremely rare chance to clamp down on gambling advertising in the country, as anti-gambling campaigners and public health experts are waiting for the outcome of a parliamentary inquiry that is set to result in some policy recommendations by the end of the week.
Peta Murphy, a Member of Parliament from the Labor Party, has already cited some powerful evidence of gambling-related harm inflicted on local communities, and the recommendations are expected to urge the Government to impose further restrictions on gambling advertisements before and after live sports broadcasts. As mentioned above, that move has gained bipartisan support from both the ruling party and the opposition, with both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the opposition leader Peter Dutton expressing their personal dislike of gambling adverts.
Gambling advertising has been blamed for literally bombarding underage individuals with materials that have eventually led to children being able to identify gambling operators by their brand colours. Peak bodies from all around the country have warned that there could be limits to grassroots sports or free coverage of sports in case advertising revenue is reduced.
Community opposition to gambling adverts has become more serious since the inquiry was released only days before the Australian Football League’s grand final in 2022. According to a recent survey that was held among 3,000 AFL fans, local communities were most commonly concerned about gambling adverts, and most people were actually supportive of an outright ban on the practice. Although some Members of Parliament from different parties have been supportive of the idea, experts believe that such a ban is unlikely to happen, or at least any time soon.
Albanese Government Already Taking Measures to Tackle Gambling-Related Harm
Anti-gambling campaigners believe that imposing some restrictions on gambling advertising is one of the easiest reforms that the Government could initiate. They have also called for other changes, such as the establishment of a national online gambling regulator with more power and resources than the currently existing alternatives across the country, although they are aware of the fact such a measure would take more time and effort.
Currently, the majority of online gambling operators are registered in the Northern Territory, where the tax treatment is quite favourable to gambling companies. Many campaigners have criticised the fines imposed by the local gambling regulator as too low, saying that they have been inefficient to force operators to comply with the country’s and territory’s gambling legislation.
One of the most avid anti-gambling campaigners in Australia – Tim Costello – commented that a chance of bipartisan support is possible to put an end to the high saturation of gambling advertising in the country. According to him, gambling ads should be suspended just like tobacco advertising, in order for the Government to ensure better protection for children, young adults, and vulnerable individuals. He noted that it is unacceptable to see children recognise gambling brands such as bet365 and Sportsbet just by the colours of their logos.
A couple of changes have already been rolled out by the Albanese Government during its first term. The federal executive government of Australia has efficiently suspended the use of credit cards for online gambling transactions and has updated its policy on warning slogans aimed at replacing the “gamble responsibly” phrase at the end of gambling ads that had faced much criticism from both campaigners and gamblers.
Local lawmakers have noted that they are waiting to see the results of the aforementioned gambling harm inquiry before they take any further action in response to community concerns.
- Author
Daniel Williams
