Australia to introduce new gambling ads messaging

The debacle of some of Australia’s biggest gambling brands and the constant efforts of the Australian Communications and Media Authority to shut down illegal gambling websites has clearly indicated that the country is fully committed to protecting consumers from the harms of gambling. A mass revision of the existing regulatory frameworks in several states already took place earlier in 2022, and more is on the way, with the idea of cashless gaming cards and facial recognition rolled in as well, The Guardian reported Tuesday.

Now, Australia is keen to introduce even more protection, ushered in through the National ConsumerProtection Framework, which will obligate businesses to state clearly that players stand to lose. The exact phrasing in the document is "chances are you are about to lose." This is going to be a nationwide initiative unlike the individual measures rolled in individual states all throughout the year. Australians are not too keen on gambling advertisement either.

This will create for consistent messaging around gambling advertisements across the country and help deliver on responsible gambling messaging that should see greater reduction in harm stemming from the industry, and also raise awareness for the potential harms of online and other forms of gambling. This will be a change from the current slogan, which has worn off a little, critics say.

"Gamble responsibly" may be falling on deaf ears, argue proponents of the new measure, if they are not exactly sure what responsible gambling is in the first place or, as the new set of rules suggests, how much consumers stand to lose. So, instead, there will be a number of new taglines to be used, including "You win some. You lose more" and "Imagine what you could be buying instead" and more. All ads then must feature information how to get in touch with Gambling Help Online in Australia.

According to the country’s Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth this measure is the result of extensive consultation and an evidence-based approach. Even the taglines have been developed after proper consultation with experts, she assured.

"We have consulted widely and, importantly, we have used evidence to inform these taglines," Rishworth said. Based on extensive behavioral research, the new taglines can later be moved to other more controversial consumer products, such as loot boxes in video games which have been coming under heavy criticism, but whose status as a gambling product has been hard to establish overall. Presently, Australia has the highest gambling losses per capita standing at $1,276.

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