New call for ban on gambling ads during televised sports in Australia

Opposition leader Peter Dutton says Australia should copy the UK model.

Australia.- Opposition leader Peter Dutton has added his voice to calls for a ban on gambling ads during televised sports. He said ads were bombarding Australians during family time and normalising gambling, from a young age.

Dutton proposed the introduction of a ban that would prevent sportsbooks from promoting their products during sports broadcasts, and an hour before and after an event airs. He said the initiative, which was introduced by the Betting and Gaming Council in the UK, would protect Australian customers from gambling harm and preserve the country’s culture.

In March, a report from the Australian Gambling Research Centre at the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) revealed a link between exposure to betting advertising and riskier gambling behaviour. 

The survey of 1,765 people found that 78 per cent of Australian adults had seen or heard sports and/or race betting advertising at least once a week in the past 12 months, with two in five (41 per cent) being exposed four or more times a week.

According to the report, exposure to wagering advertising had the greatest impact on young people aged 18 to 34 and people at risk of gambling harm. One in five young women and one in seven young men started betting for the first time after seeing or hearing an ad on TV. 

See also: AFL to review restrictions on gambling ads following criticism