ACMA warns 10 Play for showing gambling ads
ACMA’s rules state that gambling ads must not be streamed during live sport events between 5am and 8.30pm.
Australia.- The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued a warning to the streaming service 10 Play, provided by Network Ten Pty, for showing gambling ads outside of the permitted hours.
The regulator found the company had contravened rules by showing gambling ads during the October 14, 2023, A-League Women’s Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle Jets match and a Socceroos friendly match against England. Gambling ads are not allowed to be streamed during live sports events between 5am and 8.30pm or in the five minutes before and after the event. An investigation found that gambling promotions were streamed early in the morning of October 14, while the Women’s A-League match was live-streamed that afternoon when restrictions applied.
See also: ACMA releases April – June report on interactive gambling actions
Carolyn Lidgerwood, authority member, said Network Ten must do better to ensure its gambling advertising placements comply with legal requirements.
She added: “These rules are in place to minimise potential harm caused by gambling promotional content.
“Streaming services are expected to have systems in place to provide their ads in line with the law.”
“This is the first time Ten has breached the rules around gambling advertising in live sports and it has co-operated with us throughout our investigation.”
Ten said the breach was due to an error in a manual coding process and that it has upgraded its processes to provide more automation around the scheduling of gambling ads.
