KEY POINTS:
- A parliamentary report has recommended a ban on online gambling advertising.
- The report makes 31 recommendations, including a national gambling regulator.
- More than a third of Australians gamble monthly.
The Labor-led committee said the suicide risk it posed made it unlike any other form of entertainment, but warned there were currently few safeguards to protect Australians from harm.
“They don’t talk about who their favourite player is, how skilful their favourite player is, or whether their team’s going to win. They talk about the odds. Parents don’t like that.”
How the ad ban would work
The report outlines a four-phase comprehensive ban on every form of online gambling, including social media, to be rolled out over three years:
- Phase 1: An immediate ban on gambling inducements – including the offer of credits, rewards, or vouchers.
- Phase 2: A ban on all online gambling advertising, and commentary on odds, an hour either side of a sports broadcast. That would come with a ban on all gambling advertising inside stadiums, including on players’ uniforms.
- Phase 3: All broadcast online gambling would be banned between 6am and 10pm.
- Phase 4: All online gambling advertising and sponsorship to be banned by the end of year three.
More than a third of adults in Australia gambled monthly in 2018, with lotto, instant scratch tickets, and poker machines the most common method.
![GamblingCommunity (1).png](https://images.sbs.com.au/e7/cd/7a0770aa4247a58cd0e1c0d68631/gamblingcommunity-1.png?imwidth=1280)
What else does the report call for?
Other key recommendations include:
- A levy on online gambling to fund harm prevention measures.
- Having a single minister in charge of reducing online gambling harm.
- A national strategy on online gambling harm reduction to be introduced within 12 months.
- A national online gambling regulator and a national online gambling ombudsman.
- A ban on staff receiving commissions for successfully referring online gambling.
- Online gambling companies must disclose non-identifying customer data on participation and risk indicators.
- A ban on payment methods which don’t minimise the risk of gambling harm.
![MensGambling.png](https://images.sbs.com.au/91/4b/c387456e4951af11aa089c8ad195/mensgambling.png?imwidth=1280)
How are people responding?
“It’s essential that the Australian Government acts now, despite the fightback which the gambling industry and its associated partners will mount.”
Free TV also pointed out that many sport broadcasting deals extended beyond three years, and called for a “considered response” to the report.
What’s the extent of gambling harm in Australia?
A report released by the government’s Australian Institute of Family Studies this year also laid bare the extent of the problem in Australia.
![GamblingMostAtRisk (1).png](https://images.sbs.com.au/f7/4c/7c908a144fe19e01816fec627a8c/gamblingmostatrisk-1.png?imwidth=1280)
It found three-quarters of Australians had gambled in the past 12 months, while two in five did so weekly.