Australian politicians support full gambling ad ban

Former Australian politicians and multiple celebrities have joined a call to ban gambling advertisements in the country, linking it to enormous social costs that have continued to plague ordinary Australians.

Australia in The Throes of Gambling Ad Ban Debate

With losses amounting to AU$25bn annually, Australia’s hotly debated blanket ban on gambling advertisement has been one of the most contentious issues on how to proceed with re-regulation of the industry.

Among the people signing the letter were former Prime Ministers John Howard and Malcolm Turnbull, but also dozens of other concerned citizens, advocates, and problem gambling specialists.

Sent to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, this new appeal hopes to break the stalemate that has pestered politicians and has made them hesitant to act.

The letter argues that children are continually exposed to gambling advertisements through social and other media and that the tide of the "tsunami" needs to be stemmed once and for all. Coverage of major sports events brings in even more ads and with this – a new generation of gamblers.

According to the signatories of the letter, gambling advertisements are already out of control in Australia, with more than one million gambling ads being aired on free-to-air television and radio. The letter urges action based on the Murphy Report, a public assessment of the gambling industry which has come with 31 recommendations on how to mitigate the risks associated with gambling and gambling advertisement.

One of the major features of the report is a planned three-year phased-in ban giving gambling companies and anyone who may be depending on funding sufficient time to move past these partnerships. The letter attempts, as its signatories argue, to stop gambling harm which is channelled through advertisement.

A Total Gambling Ad Ban Not Too Likely

However, a total ban may not be possible under the Albanese government. Rather, there would be a watershed period with a few caveats. Each channel will be capped to two ads per channel until the 10 pm watershed, says the government.

This is a step back from what other jurisdictions around the world are doing – for instance forbidding gambling ads outside of a very narrow window. Of course, these considerations vary from one country to the next.

The United Kingdom is still caught in a fraught process of re-regulating its gambling industry, which does include a suggestion to limit gambling ads, Spain did go ahead with a full ban but backtracked, and Italy seems to have remained fairly hardline on the matter.

A middle ground could be seen as being too dovish on an issue that many see as crucial and with mounting support to ban gambling ads.

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