Australia may ban gambling ads within three years after inquiry report

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland faced calls to resign from anti-gambling advocates and progressive crossbench MPs who want a ban on ads after this masthead revealed Sportsbet made significant financial contributions to her election campaign.

The government has signalled a crackdown on gambling ads, which polling shows are unpopular with voters. As Labor has spent months waiting on the committee’s report, the Coalition moved ahead of the government by announcing it would ban ads around sporting events.

The measure has proved one of opposition leader Peter Dutton’s most popular policy announcements and the opposition has tried to use the issue to embarrass Labor on the floor of parliament, upping political pressure on a harm reduction issue that would ordinarily attract less attention from the market-oriented opposition than the more interventionist Labor Party.

The government is expected to move quickly to respond to the inquiry’s findings and announce new policies.

The biggest cause of gambling harm in Australia is poker machines – most problem gamblers in treatment have machine-related addictions. But many gambling harm experts say gambling advertisements of any description can encourage young people and those with existing gambling problems to seek out betting when they would otherwise abstain.

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Free TV Australia, which has acted on behalf of the networks – Seven, Nine (the owner of this masthead) and Ten – has been approached for comment.

Responsible Wagering Australia – which represents some of the country’s biggest bookmakers, including Sportsbet and Entain – argues that restricting regulated wagering providers from advertising will only entice those at risk of gambling harm to seek out unregulated bookies, who will not abide by the rules.

Earlier this year during the hearing, Tabcorp advocated for a ban on broadcast advertising, with chief executive Adam Rytenskild dubbing it a “line in the sand” moment for the industry.

While rivals have accused Tabcorp of taking this position to protect its market share, they concede that the public is opposed to the proliferation of betting ads.

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