Gambling ads: Why are we still betting on such a bad idea?
As the debate over online gambling advertising rages on, the sector remains quietly complicit, says Think HQ founder Jen Sharpe. She urges advertisers to stop hiding behind the excuse of "just doing our job" and start taking responsibility for their actions.
If you’re wondering why the debate around online gambling advertising in Australia feels like an end-of-the-pier revue, you need look no further than the star performers: the gambling industry, their obscenely-resourced lobbyists, and a complicit advertising sector.
Together, they’ve created a spectacle where the stakes are high, ethics are low, and the odds are never stacked in favour of the punter.
In truth, this sorry spectacle is no laughing matter. A Parliamentary committee recently handed down a report that recommended a full ban on online gambling advertising due to its harmful impact, particularly on Australian kids.
Popular with the public and backed by that rarest thing, bi-partisan backbench political support, this is the closest you get to a policy no-brainer.
But not, it would seem, close enough. Media companies, already reeling from the loss of revenue as social media and tech platforms like Facebook and Google tightened their grips on ad dollars, claimed that the removal of gambling ad revenue would lead to job cuts and the decline of ‘proper journalism’. TL;DR – media giants say we need to keep exposing kids to demonstrable harm or… we can’t read the news anymore.
This is truly outrageous stuff. Many of these outlets have long profited from an unregulated advertising environment, turning a blind eye to the societal damage caused as long as the ad buy kept rolling in. Any argument that is based on continuing to do a bad thing because you’ll lose money if you don’t should be called out for what it is – obscene.
Of course, the gambling lobby itself has been rolling the dice – and splashing the cash – to keep things exactly as they are. They’re the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes, ensuring that any attempt to regulate advertising is watered down to a mere trickle.
They’ve been remarkably effective, using their vast resources to influence policy and public opinion – often in the pages and on the homepages of mastheads who are singing from the same hymn sheet. It’s no wonder Australia lags so far behind countries like the UK, which has much stricter rules governing gambling advertising.
Perhaps the most pernicious element of our national gambling ad crisis is the false hope and promises that permeate it. And who is responsible for this? Our own advertising agencies – the creative powerhouses that write and sell stories of good times, best mates and easy access. They sell gambling not just as another form of entertainment, but as something innately Aussie. It’s bloody brilliant – in its own unedifying, unregulated way.
Our industry has been, and remains, a silent partner in this ghastly affair. And like many silent partners, they may shun the limelight – but still reap the rewards. While the media and gambling industries take the heat, many agencies have been quietly doing their bit to maintain the status quo. Though in some ways, it’s a win-win – whatever happens, there’s a chance to conjure up even more ‘creative’ ways to spend the gambling ad dollar.
The government could and should take action. But we should also acknowledge that the pressure they face is immense. The gambling industry has assembled a cultural Super PAC that would terrify any government, from sports clubs pleading poverty to media companies predicting job losses and slashed services.
Jen Sharpe
Outlets with a vested interest are flexing their muscles while the gambling lobby puts its immense resources to use behind the scenes. And the message they peddle is simple – stopping ads will shutter sports clubs, decimate news media, and (this is the kicker) stop people doing that most Australian of things – having a flutter. It’s garbage, of course. But this close to an election, it’s dangerous garbage for the party of government.
This is our industry at its worst – happy to find more and better ways to do the wrong thing instead of standing together and doing the right thing. And this ‘it’s not right, but it’s okay’ approach is as ignorant as it is dangerous and one that we should rally against.
It’s time we stopped hiding behind the excuse of ‘just doing our job’ and started taking some responsibility for our actions. Will we? Sadly, I really wouldn’t bet on it.
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This genuinely might be one of the worst articles I’ve ever read on here. Let’s just ban everything, eh! Let’s remove all societal personal accountability and let the government make all our decisions for us.
This smacks of agenda-based opinion.
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The tax review the Government gouges from these companies also fund a lot of the campaigns your business makes money off.
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excellent article well said
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An ill researched, poorly informed and purely opinion based article.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to any one in the wagering industry for greater understanding before writing such tripe.
Alternatively, for a future focused piece, reach out to alcohol or QSR marketers as they will be next.
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