Punt on gambling reforms fails to hit support jackpot
Dominic Giannini and Zac de Silva |
Gambling reform advocates are furious at what they describe as half-baked measures to crack down on systemic harms, while gaming firms are angry they haven’t been consulted.
Celebrities and sportspeople will no longer be allowed to promote gambling on TV, radio or online as part of a reform package Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday.
Gambling advertisements will be banned during live sport broadcasts on TV between 6am and 8.30pm and limited to three an hour when sport isn’t being shown during those hours.
The ads will be banned on online platforms unless users have been verified to be over 18. Platforms will need to allow users to opt out.
Players’ and officials’ uniforms will not be allowed to display the logos of gambling products and betting ads will be banned in sporting venues.
Radio stations will be banned from playing gambling ads during school pick-up and drop-off times.
The laws will come into effect at the start of 2027 but still need to pass parliament, where they will be introduced in May.
“We are getting the balance right,” Mr Albanese told the National Press Club.
“Letting adults have a punt if they want to, but making sure that our children don’t see betting ads everywhere they look.
“We don’t want kids growing up thinking that footy and gambling are inextricably linked.”
The reforms fall short of recommendations from a landmark gambling harm inquiry’s report, handed down in mid-2023 by late Labor MP Peta Murphy.
The “you win some, you lose more” report recommended a full phase out of online gambling ads, curbing inducements, a levy to fund gambling harm reduction initiatives and a duty of care on wagering providers.
Mr Albanese said a full response to the review would be tabled on parliament’s next sitting day, scheduled for May 12.
A duty of care for gambling companies would instead fall under a broader online duty of care, the prime minister said.
The reforms were more about optics than making a difference, gambling expert Samantha Thomas said.
“If gambling promotions are harmful in stadiums and on jerseys, why aren’t they considered harmful everywhere else? This patchwork approach makes no sense,” Professor Thomas said.
Australian Medical Association vice president Julian Rait said partial bans didn’t work and the reforms failed to provide the comprehensive protections needed to reduce online gambling harm.
Mr Albanese said the caps limited exposure and this was complemented by the jersey ban, which meant kids weren’t exposed to advertising the entire game.
“Anything less than a comprehensive ban will continue to expose Australians, especially children, to relentless gambling promotion.”
Alliance for Gambling Reform’s chief advocate Tim Costello admonished the “opt out” method.
“The onus should be squarely on the gambling companies and the platforms,” he said.
Independent senator David Pocock and MP Kate Chaney blasted the partial ban, lack of action on banning inducements and a failure to put in place the recommended national regulator.
“Australians haven’t suffered through years of harm at the hands of gambling companies to see some kind of half-arsed response from an Albanese government captured by vested interests,” Senator Pocock said.
The gambling lobby also hit out at the government, saying it was deeply disappointed it had restricted gambling advertising without consultation.
“This sets a dangerous precedent. Today it’s gambling advertising, tomorrow it’s alcohol, then it’s sugary drinks, fast food, critical minerals and who knows what else comes next,” Responsible Wagering Australia chief executive Kai Cantwell said.
“We acknowledge advertising levels were too high in the past, but we’ve listened and we’ve acted by taking steps to significantly reduce the total volume of ads.”
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AAP