Australia’s Gambling Debate

The Australian Labor government will implement an immediate ban on online gambling advertising and a partial television ban within two years, according to a Sky News report.

a parliamentary committee recommended a blanket ban on advertising last year

Australia has been in the throes of a national debate for several months over banning gambling advertising, with fierce arguments taking place between the two sides after a parliamentary committee recommended a blanket ban on advertising last year.

So far, the government has not stated its position, with several members of parliament from the ruling Labor administration breaking the party line to demand the committee’s recommendations are upheld.

However, the report indicates that the new regulations will be a watered-down version of the committee’s proposals.

Full ban not considered

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s administration was expected to opt for a compromise position, and if the report is accurate, it seems that will indeed be the case. The partial TV ban will come into place after two years, due to TV networks’ contractual obligations.

Reportedly, the government did not consider a blanket ban on all gambling advertising, which was advocated by several former Prime Ministers as well as the parliamentary committee which was set up to examine the issue.

Instead, the new laws will target three areas of concern: the number of gambling ads, the exposure of children to them, and ads appearing during sporting events.

What we’ve been doing is having a consultation to make sure that we get the reforms right.”

make sure that we get the reforms right”

The Prime Minister, however, has denied that a full framework has been decided. Speaking today, Albanese said: “We have not come to a conclusion, we’re in discussions. I’ve seen reports that allege that they know what the position is. Well, they don’t. What we’ve been doing is having a consultation to make sure that we get the reforms right.”

“We know that problem gambling is an issue, and we want to deal with those issues in a constructive way.” 

National regulator scrapped

Amanda Rishworth, the Social Services Minister, will implement most of the recommendations from the report, although she has also told the media she will stop short of introducing a nationwide gambling regulator.

The move is likely to cause significant controversy, as the implementation of a unified regulator across all Australian territories was a key recommendation of the parliamentary committee report.

“At this point that is not in the discussions with states and territories,” said Rishworth. “What is in the discussion with states and territories is around how we better coordinate and move forward a unified effort when it comes to online gaming.”