Gambling ads ban may impact greyhound industry, body says

Australia is preparing to dramatically reduce the available gambling advertisements which will have consequences on businesses, partnerships, and how consumers interact with gambling products. As the country is moving forward with enacting a gambling advertisement ban, some industry bodies have spoken up against this pending change.

One of those is the Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW), an industry body in the state, which has urged ministers to take a tamer approach and reconsider, as rolling out the ban would essentially gut the industry. Should a full ban on advertisement take effect, the impact would be "devastating" and "irreversible," the GRNSW said in a letter to the government cited by The Guardian Australia.

The impact will be felt by racing dogs, the clubs that train them, the tracks that host events, and virtually anyone involved in the greyhound industry in New South Wales, the letter cautions. This will expand to animal welfare as well, the GRNSW warns.

Should the ban on gambling inducements be introduced in its current form, the loss to the industry stands to lose at least AU$20m at current rates. That would significantly gut welfare programs and greyhound adoption programs, leaving racing dogs all the worse for it. However, the industry’s track record has not been impeccable either, with 67 dogs suffering in races and being involved in accidents in the period between July through September 2022.

In other words, the industry is already facing some criticism that it is not doing all it can by the animals that participate. Then again, the industry has mostly responded by arguing that there is a lack of sufficient funding, but despite that, relevant bodies have put in place the necessary safeguards to protect animals.

Bodies such as the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds have been more critical of the industry as well, arguing that by seeking exemption from the ban, the greyhound industry did not really care about the problem gamblers who suffer from such promotional materials. The government is facing a lot of pressure from all parties involved.

Meanwhile, Australians have proven themselves to be overwhelming against bonus inducements even though the nation is frequenting such venues and gambling at quite the breakneck speed and is easily one of the world’s biggest gambling nations.

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