Ban kicks in before kick-off
Australian consumers will no longer see or hear gaming advertisements on TV or radio before 8:30 p.m., says Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
According to the Courier newspaper, new restrictions on advertising and promotions will cover all sports broadcasts except racing. The ban will start five minutes before matches kick off and end five minutes after they conclude. The ban includes sponsorships and mentions of betting companies in sports reporting.
Craig Wood of the Salvation Army said the prohibition is a welcome development and will help alleviate “financial dysfunction.”
“We’ll often see families in particular where one of the parents will have a gambling addiction,” Wood said. “Often this will be a secretive addiction and often it’s been a case where one of the partners has gone to pay rent and there’s just been no money in the account.”
But University of Melbourne Associate Professor Nathan Grills said some loopholes remain. “Kids are going to be exposed during games and at the actual grounds as well. Other programs not included in the ban are current affairs shows, often in peak viewing time for children. So I think we need to be far more comprehensive,” he said.
According to ABC.net, gambling counselor Rob Nickle of Mission Australia in New South Wales would prefer to see the ads stopped completely.
“By reducing exposure to sports betting, you go a long way in reducing the negative impacts of problem gambling,” he said. “The issue is increasing, particularly among young males. Sports betting is everywhere and we know that clients experiencing problems with sports betting often say how difficult it is to manage because of the saturation of gambling advertising during sporting events as well as 24 hour access on the internet and mobile phones. It really makes giving up gambling a very challenging task.
“That’s why these changes are so important, so that as the industry grows, we can enforce measures that will minimize harm for people who are problem gamblers or at risk of becoming a problem gambler,” Nickle said.
