Anthony Albanese says a blanket ban is not the \u2018bold\u2019 move others claim it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Australia.- The pressure on Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese<\/strong> to implement a total ban on gambling ads is mounting, but Albanese remains doubtful about the effectiveness of such a measure. In an interview with ABC Radio, the prime minister said a blanket prohibition would not be the \u201cbold\u201d move some claim. He said: “The problem isn\u2019t advertising, the problem is gambling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The easy option is just to (ban ads) and not worry about the consequences for sporting codes, junior sport, the media,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He noted that lotteries and scratchies are the most common forms of gambling<\/strong>, with 64 per cent of Australian adults participating in 2022. This is compared to 38 per cent who bet on horse races and 33 per cent who placed wagers on sports, according to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Albanese said, “I haven\u2019t seen a campaign about advertising lotteries \u2013 which is a far bigger problem than sports gambling.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Australian Associated Press (AAP), David Pocock<\/strong>, one of the advocates of a ban on all betting ads, has responded by saying that a ban on ads would prevent the normalisation of gambling for children. He said: “Kevin Rudd had the guts as prime minister to take on Big Tobacco and legislate plain packaging. Anthony Albanese needs to show the same courage here and ban gambling advertising.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier this month, a report from the Grattan Institute found that Australia still has the highest gambling losses<\/a> in the world. Entitled A better bet: How Australia should prevent gambling harm, the report finds that the average Australian adult loses AU$1,635 (US$1,099.5) a year. That compares to US$543.65 in the US and US$392.10 in New Zealand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n