‘Overwhelmingly, it’s about poker machines’: Albanese says banning gambling advertising won’t solve the problem
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has argued that Australians being “bombarded” with sports gambling advertisements isn’t the cause of our national gambling problem.
Speaking on ABC Perth on Tuesday morning, Albanese pointed out that sports betting represents less than 5% of problem gambling in Australia.
“What we want to do is to reduce the impact and the harm that gambling advertising is causing, and we’re taking action to do that,” he said when asked about the issue in the lead up to this weekend’s AFL Finals.
“Complete banning has been an option,” he said, “[but] whether that will solve the problem… the problem here, of course, is that sports gambling represents under 5% of the problem gambling issue.
“Overwhelmingly, it’s about poker machines, then it’s followed by lotteries and lotto tickets and those issues as well. So, I know that as much as anything else that can be annoying.
“We’re looking at a range of options.”
Gambling companies spent $238.63 million on advertising in the year to April last year, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
The media companies argue that lost revenue from this industry would make the free-to-air TV industry unsustainable, and will impact their ability to deliver vital services like news.
The Albanese Government is considering gambling advertising reforms that will focus on three key areas: exposure of children to gambling commercials, promotions running during and just before sporting matches, and the overall saturation of gambling ads.
Free-to-air television networks and metro radio stations are currently fighting not to lose the $238.6 million in gambling advertising revenue they make in each calendar year.
Speaking to Mumbrella earlier this month, a spokesperson for Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said: “We are consulting stakeholders on a proposed model that focuses on addressing the connection between wagering and sport, reducing the exposure of children to online wagering advertising, and tackling the saturation of gambling ads.
“We must get this right to deliver both harm reduction and cultural change and we will have more to say in due course.”
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Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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Gambling companies spent $238m on advertising and it all went to TV and radio stations? Where does online advertising fit in?
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The roads in Queensland and new south Wales are bloody ruff and pudhole yet the tolls we pay at b.p people say it doesn’t got to road whyare they the worst roads in a Australia he doesn’t care about Australia he always over sea he should get out and have a look at the road it coast me a wheel for the caravan and a wheel alignment $400 because of the road lam from Western Australia and they got the best road in a Australian
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