ACMA says Seven Network breached gambling advertisment rules

The Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) has named Seven Network Operations Ltd (Seven) as the latest party to violate the regulator’s gambling laws. Specifically, Seven is said to have breached laws related to gambling advertisements.

According to the regulator, which published a full statement on its official website, Seven showed gambling ads outside of the specified times, using its streaming service.

The investigation conducted into the offending party’s business indicated that at 10:30 am on 7plus, during a game from the National Football League (NFL) of the United States played on December 12, 2022, an ad appeared on the platform.

A similar incident involving Seven was already reported in October, and the company has now been awarded a fine of AU$13,320, which is the maximum allowable penalty in this case. Gambling advertisement is strictly prohibited in Australia between 5 am and 8:30 pm, leaving a narrow window during which audiences can see such content.

ACMA was not happy with Seven, as it had received assurances that the company had sound safeguards in place and that further incidents would not occur. In this particular case, however, the regulator found the company to have violated ACMA and gambling advertisement rules.

Seven did respond to the regulator, arguing that it was an isolated incident that the watchdog focused on, and not the norm. ACMA though said that it would continue to monitor Seven for further offenses. ACMA Chair Nerida O’ Loughlin said that the prevalence of gambling content has become a major concern for Australians and more so than ever, people are expecting such content to be limited.

"The ACMA expects broadcasters to have robust systems and processes and associated assurance mechanisms in place to support compliance with these laws," O’Loughlin added. Australia has recently taken decisive steps to restrict the adverse impact that gambling has on the country through the introduction of a ban on credit cards for the purposes of gambling.

The country also launched its first unified national self-exclusion program, BetStop, which is designed to further bolster protection measures and allow consumers to remain excluded in the regulated gambling market across state lines.

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