Tabcorp questions AANA’s code

The Australian wagering company considers the Australian Association of National Advertisers’ gambling ad self regulation code irrelevant.

Australia.- According to Tabcorp, the new self-regulatory code overseeing how wagering and gaming companies go to market is pointless.

Last week, the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) announced the creation of a gambling ad self regulation code. The association has been working on the code for several months, saying it had received input from a wide range of industry stakeholders including government, wagering companies, media and academics. One of the main points of the code is to prevent bookies creating campaigns aimed at children.

“The new code responds to community expectations that are specific to the content of wagering advertising and provides the public with a transparent and easily accessible complaints procedure via the single point of the Advertising Standards Bureau,” expressed Matt Tapper, AANA chair, adding that the new code would provide a robust self-regulatory framework for the industry and a channel for the public to raise concerns.

On its part, Tabcorp, parent of TAB, Luxbet and Keno, commented that whilst there were concerns about the way in which some companies were marketing, the new code would have little or no impact. “We are sympathetic to concerns about the proliferation of wagering advertising and recognise that the excessive levels of advertising are in nobody’s interest,” a Tabcorp spokesman explained. “Our position is that wagering advertising is best dealt with through a national and consistently applied legal and regulatory framework, rather than through a self-regulated code, which does not have broad endorsement.”