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Report: Gambling ad ban during sport set for Cabinet approval

Communications Minister Mitch Fifeld will put a proposal to cabinet on Tuesday banning gambling ads "from siren to siren."

Reports today claim the government is poised to propose a ban on live sports bet advertising “from siren to siren” as early as next week.

The Australian reports Communications Minister Mitch Fifeld will put a proposal to cabinet on Tuesday, while ABC also reports Cabinet is poised to limit the times when gambling ads can be shown on both free to air and pay TV.

A deal is expected to include a trade-off with Free to Air networks, which is likely to see them use the deal as leverage to have their licensing fees reduced. It’s not yet clear if Subscription TV will attract the same benefit.

But sporting codes are opposed to the moves.

Last Wednesday, Australian Football League chief executive Gillon McLachlan and the National Rugby League’s second in command, Nick Weeks, met with the Communications Minister Mitch Fifield in Melbourne.

The NRL has a commercial deal with Sportsbet worth $60 million, while the AFL has a $10 million a year deal with CrownBet. Cricket Australia has also been lobbying against the change.

Senator Nick Xenophon supports tightening up gambling advertising

“I’m not going to stand in the way of ­restrictions, but if you want it to be sustainable in the long term, you bring the broadcasting industry with you,” he said, adding “it should also come with a reduction in licensing fees.”

12 Responses

  1. What a joke anyway. Our Parliament can’t even agree on scraping the reach rule and the 2 out of 3 rule and they want to debate about gambling ads. It’ll be another law they will drag on about so they can get paid mega bucks to argue about what colour tie Malcolm Turnbull is wearing today.

  2. Here’s an idea: ban gambling ads entirely.

    I am an avid punter, and have accounts with several different outfits, so you’d think I’d be all for the ads, but I’m not. They should be banned.

    Anyone who wants to place a bet can find these services ridiculously easily. They will survive without ads on TV or radio. Ban the ads.

  3. Eliminating gambling TV ads “siren to siren” will simply mean that they will be placed elsewhere in the stadiums and will still be visible to viewers. Digital signage on the fencing around the fields is big business and the advertising content is constantly changed to reflect on-field activity. Behind and beside the goal-posts is an ideal spot to advertise the betting odds.

  4. What a nanny state we live in. What happened to personal responsibility? If I see a gambling commercial it doesn’t make me want to part with my hard earned $$$.

    1. Sure, and it wouldn’t be an issue if everybody else was as sensible and strong-willed. In an ideal world, I agree that everybody should be able to do whatever they want to themselves.

      Unfortunately, as with drugs of addiction, some people not only get themselves into trouble but also cause problems for the wider community, which we all end up paying for, one way or another.

    2. What about children watching, at an early age adopting the idea that gambling on a game is integral to the enjoyment of watching that game. A problem has occurred due to this adverts and a remedy is needed, sure you can try and educate and teach your children that it isn’t, however you have to be on song with it every single ad break.

  5. How transparent. This is some kind of a deal with Nick Xenofon so Malcolm can overtax the poor while letting his rich mates get away with paying nothing.

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