Australia turns to Belgium for gambling ad ban recommendations

Australia is looking for more input as to how to sally forth with a proposal that will see gambling advertisements suspended across the country. This comes amid a scandal that has named one unauthorized gambling company as able to display physical banners during televized sports games using physical banners, using what has been described as a legal loophole.

According to The Guardian, which did the original reporting, Australian communications minister Michelle Rowland has met with representatives of the Belgian Gaming Commission to seek on how to best approach a suggestion to implement a ban on gambling advertisements.

The meeting took place in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, and continues the ongoing efforts of the Oceanic nation to introduce a tougher regime on gambling that is focused on protecting consumers and vulnerable groups.

Not much is immediately clear as of right now, but a spokesperson for Rowland, cited by The Guardian, said that the minister remained committed to doing her best in ensuring that harms associated with "online wagering" were continuously addressed and tackled. Many local gambling reformists have hailed the minister for her decision to seek overseas assistance.

Nor is this the first time Australia has reached out to counterparts elsewhere. The Australian Communications and Media Authority, for example, has been on a crusade to uproot illegal gambling sites that target the country’s citizens, and has recently decided to reach out to regulators around the world and notify them that companies that carry their license are in fact violating Australian law.

Meanwhile, the Alliance for Gambling Reform’s representative, Tim Costello, has taken heart from the fact that the minister went to Belgium to seek advice on how Australia may follow suit. According to Costello, Belgium has one of the tightest gambling regulation laws in the world, and consulting the jurisdiction and its regulators is an important step forward to ensure that whatever decision Australia makes is in the interest of protecting consumers.

The publication also sought input from Samantha Thomas, Gambling Researcher at Deakin University, who welcomed the news and said that it was indeed a clear demonstration on the part of the minister that she [Rowland] is willing to stand up for the interest of consumers.

Meanwhile, the Australian gambling industry remains hopeful that a total ban on the advertisement of gambling products may be spared. Presently, physical venues are forbidden from advertising their gambling products with physical signage – a newly implemented measure that has borne fruit.

Similarly, Australia already has laws in place that prohibit the use of promotional materials to attract new customers. Gambling advertisement is already tight, with gambling ads and odds restricted across TV, radio, and online restricted at certain times.

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