Australian government to soften gambling advertising ban
Date: 2024-08-08 Author: Robert Beloved Categories: EVENTS
According to multiple media reports, the Australian government is preparing to publish its response to the 2023 Murphy Report. However, the total ban on gambling advertising proposed in the report is unlikely to be implemented.
Under the new plans, the government intends to limit gambling adverts to two per hour before 10pm, and ban gambling adverts an hour before and after live sporting events.
Jamie Nettleton, a partner at gambling law firm Addisons, told iGB that the government likely does not want to upset the media, although the final answer is not yet clear. “These proposals are in the development stage and have not yet been put to cabinet, so there is no clear timetable for implementation,” he added.
The proposals will be implemented through legislation tabled in Parliament.
Gambling advertising ban could shift online
An initial report from the Commons Social Policy and Legal Affairs Committee in June 2023 proposed a complete ban on all gambling adverts within three years, covering both TV and online. That report was prepared by Peta Murphy MP, who died in December last year.
Online gambling advertising is also expected to be banned on commercial radio for one hour a day, including the 8.30am-9am and 3.30pm-4pm time slots, according to reports.
Crucially, a complete ban on online advertising remains likely, which Nettleton said would see affiliate and influencer marketing end. "The sector knew this was coming and have been working on the restrictions for a long time," Nettleton explained.
Reaction to new proposals
Independent Senator David Poko was highly critical of the revised restrictions yesterday (6 August). Poko questioned why the government, parliament and the public had moved away from supporting a blanket ban and abandoned the original plans.
"A gradual ban on gambling advertising will destroy sport - haven't we heard that before?" Poko wrote in a post on X.
"What a complete betrayal and abandonment of the late Peta Murphy's legacy. There is support in parliament for the full implementation of the Murphy report's recommendations, not some watered-down policy to appease the gambling industry," he wrote.
Australia gambling operators cut advertising
Bookmaker Tabcorp initially backed the cuts in gambling advertising in its statement to the Murphy report last year.
Similarly, PointsBet revealed it had taken steps to reduce its advertising in its latest full-year financial results.
The company no longer shows its adverts on free-to-air TV between 6pm and 9.30pm. It is also removing its branding from stadiums and sports team shirts, meaning sponsorship deals with the Manly Sea Eagles and Cronulla Sharks will end from 2025.
