<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>326412</docID> <postdate>2024-08-13 09:21:00</postdate> <headline>Gambling industry rankles over potential blanket ad ban</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-326416" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20190814001413264922-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="618" /></p> <caption>Australians lose more money gambling per capita than anyone else in the world. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Kat Wong</strong> in Canberra</span></p> <p><strong>Australians could be forced to place bets with illegal overseas companies if the government implements a total ban on gambling advertising, an industry representative say.</strong></p> <p>A landmark review handed down by a parliamentary committee in 2023 recommended the federal government phase out all gambling advertisements over three years.</p> <p>But reports suggest the Commonwealth won't adopt the centrepiece measure and will instead impose limits on when the ads can be shown.</p> <p>Responsible Wagering Australia chief executive Kai Cantwell – whose organisation represents companies like Sportsbet, Pointsbet and bet365 – says he supports caps on the volume and frequency of broadcast advertising, but is concerned about a blanket ban.</p> <p>"We run the risk of driving Australian consumers to the illegal offshore providers, which are rife online already," he told ABC radio on Tuesday.</p> <p>"They offer no consumer protections and no economic benefits for Australian punters."</p> <p>But independent ACT senator David Pocock has rebuffed the claims.</p> <p>"This is a desperate industry that's lost its social licence," he told ABC radio.</p> <p>"No one's saying that you're going to ban people from having a punt, from downloading a sports betting app – you can do that.</p> <p>"This is about stopping the inundation, the total saturation of online and TV advertising."</p> <p>Australians lose more money gambling per capita than anyone else in the world, with $25 billion lost on legal forms of wagering every year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.</p> <p>Health experts including Deakin University professor Samantha Thomas say gambling marketing sends positive messages about the industry to children.</p> <p>A partial ban won't prevent that, she said.</p> <p>But senior government minister Bill Shorten says Australia's vulnerable free-to-air media depends on gambling ad revenue.</p> <p>"Free-to-air media is in diabolical trouble... that's the discussion we're not having," he told Q + A on Monday.</p> <p>Almost $240 million was spent on gambling advertising on free-to-air TV, radio and online between May 2022 and April 2023, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority.</p> <p>And as Facebook's parent company Meta ended its deals with media companies such as Nine and Seven West, these organisations have grown more dependent on its traditional revenue sources.</p> <p>"The problem if you kill free-to-air media (is) what will replace it?" Mr Shorten said.</p> <p>"I don't want Mark Zuckerberg or Facebook in charge of my news feeds."</p> </body>