Canberra, Australia. Australia said it would ban gambling advertisements featuring celebrities and limit online gambling advertisements to internet users over 18 from next year, in a move aimed at addressing public health concerns but short of measures recommended by its own inquiry.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would only allow online gambling advertisements for users logged into accounts and aged over 18, nearly three years after a government review recommended a total ban on online gambling ads.
Online advertising restrictions
Albanese said on Thursday the government would restrict online gambling advertisements to users who are logged into accounts and over 18, following a review that cited rising public health costs and recommended a total ban of online gambling advertising.
Limits on television and sports advertising
Gambling advertisers, a major contributor to free-to-air television and sports revenue, already face restrictions on advertising frequency and times of day. The new rules include a cap of three advertisements per hour between 6 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., and a complete ban during live sports broadcasts within those hours.
Implementation timeline and political pressure
The package takes effect from 2027. The issue has been a persistent challenge for Albanese’s centre-left government despite its record parliamentary majority, with cross-benchers saying the government has been too slow to address gambling.
Costs and public health concerns
Gambling was forecast to cost Australians A$34 billion ($23 billion) last year, described as the highest per capita in the world. Public health experts said the true cost is higher because losses can lead to treatment for depression and gambling and alcohol addiction.
Responses to the measures
Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Tim Costello criticised a feature of the new law that requires internet users to opt out if they do not want to see ads, saying, “Not a single parent in this country would opt in to their kids seeing gambling ads.”
“The government should not claim they are protecting kids from gambling advertising by asking parents to opt out. The onus should be squarely on the gambling companies and the platforms,” Costello said.
Albanese defended the new rules, calling them “the most significant reform on gambling that has ever been implemented.” In a statement, he said the government was taking decisive action to address community and public health concerns associated with gambling and to minimise children’s exposure by stopping the “deluge of advertisements” they faced.
Do you think the new rules will significantly reduce children’s exposure to gambling advertising?
