In response to the inquiry into online gambling and its impacts, CMA’s Hon. CEO, Barbara Biggins OAM CF, puts forward the need for urgent action.

We seem to have been waiting a long time for government action on the promotion of gambling. The public and CMA have been expressing their concerns since at least 2015 and, in early June this year, Independent Zoe Daniel (member for Goldstein) put a motion to the House to allow time to debate her Private Members Bill to prohibit, as a matter pf urgency, betting ads.

After its extensive six month inquiry into online gambling and its promotion, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on social policy and legal affairs reported back on 28 June 2023 (report titled: You win some, you lose more).

In regard to the promotion of gambling, that Inquiry stated:

Australians do not like being flooded by messages and inducements to gamble online and worry about the effect this is having on children and young people. Most believe that gambling is harmful for society and that it has become too easy to gamble in Australia. (see Foreword)

Concerns were raised that the volume of gambling advertisements and the way in which gambling is marketed with sport makes gambling seem like a normal, sociable, and risk-free activity that is intrinsic to enjoying sport. Australians are being saturated with gambling messages and it is nearly impossible for anyone who is interested in sport, regardless of their age, to avoid advertising for gambling on any media. (see para 5.10)

But at last there might be movement at the station, as the Department of Communications starts consulting with groups like CMA on Recommendation 26 from the Inquiry.

Rec. 26 (You win some, you lose more)

5.148 The Committee recommends the Australian Government, with the cooperation of the states and territories, implement a comprehensive ban on all forms of advertising for online gambling, to be introduced in four phases, over three years, commencing immediately:

Phase One: prohibition of all online gambling inducements and inducement advertising, and all advertising of online gambling on social media and online platforms. Removal of the exemption for advertising online gambling during news and current affairs broadcasts. Prohibition of advertising online gambling on commercial radio between 8.30-9.00am and 3.30-4.00pm (school drop off and pick up).

Phase Two: prohibition of all online gambling advertising and commentary on odds, during and an hour either side of a sports broadcast. Prohibition on all in-stadia advertising, including logos on players’ uniforms.

Phase Three: prohibition of all broadcast online gambling advertising between the hours of 6.00am and 10.00pm.

Phase Four: by the end of year three, prohibition on all online gambling advertising and sponsorship.

5.149 Gambling advertising on dedicated racing channels and programming should be exempt from the ban.

5.150 Small community radio broadcasters should be exempt from further restrictions until December 2025.

The Government has yet to table its formal response to the Committee’s recommendations, but the sports betting industry is now offering to remove logos from sport jerseys – which is one useful step forward, but a whole lot more is needed . . .

For example, the Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory in Queensland has just published another useful piece of research – see Nerilee Hing, Matthew Rockloff & Matthew Browne (2023) A bad bet for sports fans: the case for ending the “gamblification” of sport, Sport Management Review, 26:5, 788-812, DOI: 10.1080/14413523.2023.2260079 in which they state:

Sports organisations play an instrumental role in the gamblification of sport and derive revenues from wagering operators that are, in large part, derived from harmful gambling by sports fans.

Also, the Australian Communications and Media Authority has published this study showing, for example, that Brisbane averages 275 spots for online sports betting per day across 18 free to air channels, and that the peak time for screening of sports betting ads nationally is between 6pm and 10pm daily.

We need to understand the real harms that are accumulating, while we wait for much needed decisive and comprehensive action. What’s really needed SOON is the banning of ads for online sports betting during sports telecasts, and of all betting ads before 9.30pm every day.

Why can’t these two clear actions be implemented with these next six months?  It’s time for the public interest to be put first!