Australian PM dispels rumors about partial TV gambling ads ban

Shortly after a report by Sky News circulated that the government intends to roll out a partial TV gambling ads ban and proceed with a full ban on online gambling advertisements, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese refuted the claim on Wednesday, arguing that no decision regarding such a measure has ever been reached.

Prime Minister says government undecided on TV gambling ads ban

Prime Minister Albanese said that reports about the rollout of a partial gambling ads ban onTV as early as 2026 were in fact wrong, and that the government had not decided as to how to best proceed.

Sky News’ report was citing sources, and was more or less a surprise, as the Prime Minister and his government have for the most part remained loath to push forward with a TV ads ban, citing concerns about finances being lost for free TV.

"I’ve seen reports that allege that they know what the position is. Well, they don’t. What we’ve been doing is having a consultation to make sure that we get the reforms right," the Prime Minister insisted.

The Prime Minister also focused on outlining during a press conference on Wednesday how his government has been working to actively address problem gambling for two years now. The Prime Minister similarly noted that his government was seeking to engage with all parties involved.

As a result, the government is in communication with anti-gambling lobbyists, sports entities, and various media organizations, attempting to patch together the full picture and what the best course of action would be.

The government fears that an immediate change in the rules would deprive free TV and possibly sports clubs of funding that could be vital for their survival.

On the flip side, gambling hawks have insistently said that no amount of finance would make up for the steep societal costs that Australia was bearing collectively with the rates of problem gamblers increasing.

Some advertising rule changes have already been passed across the country. For example, poker clubs and bars with poker machines have been prohibited from displaying external signage advertising their products.

Partial ban would not make it, based on the reaction to the recent report

A national self-exclusion program has been rolled out but plans to push forward with a blanket ban on advertisement and create a unifying government body have remained mostly stalled.

The latest report by Sky News, although untrue in the Prime Minister’s words, was an important litmus test as well, as it indicated that the "anti-gambling lobby" would not be satisfied with anything but a complete ban.

The Australian Medical Association has previously said that a partial ban is in fact no ban at all. Calls for a ban on gambling TV ads are unlikely to lessen.

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