Gambling advertisements will remain on TV for years to come after the Albanese Government shunned a high-profile campaign for a blanket ban. Source: The Age.
Instead, Labor proposes a cap of two gambling ads per hour on each channel until 10pm and banning ads an hour before and after live sport – the latter matching a Coalition pledge.
But in a major step expected to be welcomed by anti-gambling advocates, Labor wants a blanket ban on betting ads on social media and other digital platforms, a move that is likely to provoke fury from the gambling sector.
Details of Communications Minister Michelle Rowland’s plans, which are yet to go to cabinet and are subject to change, were revealed to The Age by five sources briefed on the reforms.
They provided details of the package on the condition of anonymity because the Government has only briefed people who signed legal undertakings to maintain secrecy.
A ban on gambling ads proposed by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton would have the most severe repercussions for the broadcasters of the AFL and NRL including Seven Network, Nine Entertainment and pay-TV operator Foxtel.
An announcement on the Government’s move to address public concerns about the social harm of online gambling and the volume of sports betting ads is expected within weeks.
The proposal comes more than a year after a parliamentary inquiry, chaired by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, recommended a ban on all gambling ads across television, radio, newspapers and online within three years.
Labor has been pressured by a number of MPs since Murphy’s death in December to honour her legacy, with some anti-gambling advocates proposing new legislation be called “Murphy’s law”.
But a ban has been opposed by most gambling firms, as well as sporting codes and media companies whose business models have become heavily reliant on betting ad revenue.
More than 1 million gambling ads aired on free-to-air TV, radio and online in the 12 months to April 2023, at a cost of $238 million, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
FULL STORY
‘Murphy’s law’ gambling ad ban to be rejected in favour of caps (By Paul Sakkal, The Age)
