A recent study commissioned by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and conducted by Nielsen has shown that gambling companies invested heavily in advertising on free-to-air (FTA) television and radio channels in the 12-month period from May of 2022 to April of 2023.
According to the study, there were more than one million total gambling ads aired on free airwaves during that span—in metropolitan markets, half of these ads came from iGaming operators. In regional markets, this percentage was even higher, as 58 percent of TV ads were iGaming-related.
With regard to finances, the study showed that there was a total of US$102.12 million spent on FTA TV ads during that span, which was said to have accounted for approximately 68 percent of the total ad spend for the sector. By comparison, only US$21.81 million was spent on social media ads, which amounted to just 15 percent of total spend.
The late afternoon and early evening were the prime hours for FTA TV gaming ads, as 22 percent of all gambling ads were aired between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.
According to the study, FTA TV saw a six percent increase in overall viewership year-over-year, with 70 percent of the country’s adult population watching FTA TV at least once per week.
Gambling-related advertising has been a hotly debated topic across Australia for several months now, and the federal government is currently contemplating a proposal that would incrementally restrict gambling advertisements over a three-year period, eventually culminating in a complete ban.
