Sports commentators to be banned from gambling plugs
Sports commentators will be banned from plugging live odds during sports broadcasts as the government acts on the promotion of gambling on TV.
- Published by David Knox
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The promotion of live odds during sports broadcasts will be reduced following negotiations between the federal government Free TV Australia, ASTRA and Commercial Radio Australia.
Sports commentators will also be banned from promoting live odds during sports broadcasts.
The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy, said, “The Gillard Government understands that the promotion of live odds during sports broadcasts can contribute to the encouragement of gambling, particularly amongst vulnerable people including children.
“Broadcasters have agreed to amend their existing codes of practice to restrict live odds promotion, including by banning sporting commentators from mentioning live odds and banning all live odds promotion during play.
“The principles that will underpin these restrictions are expected to be finalised in the coming weeks.
“Code amendments based on the Government’s agreed principles will be developed by broadcasters in consultation with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and we expect to see them registered by the end of the year.
“Broadcasters will comply with the provisions from the date of registration.”
The move follows a 12 month voluntary ban by networks to phase out Live betting odds during sporting events. Some networks had allowed commentators to promote gambling odds during sports events and run ‘tickers’ across the bottom of the screen.
Anti-gambling advocates Tim Costello and South Australian senator Nick Xenophon have been protesting the practice since 2008 while the AFL had also taken up the issue with the federal government.
“The Government will continue to monitor developments in this area, including through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Select Council on Gambling Reform,” Senator Conroy said.
“The states and territories have also committed to look at the steps they can take to limit promotion of live odds at sporting grounds, such as on scoreboards or by ground announcers.”
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10 Responses
Gambling, Alchohol & Tobacco can all be damaging things in the wrong hands. There are good reasons why you have to be over 18 to do any of them & to advertise them to a younger audience is just plane wrong (plus the fact the TAB ones are just annoying). Not having tobacco & alchohol advertising doesn’t lessen my enjoyment of either & the same goes for the TAB. Anyone who really cares about it will be watching the odds online or at the TAB anyway.
Ban it completely now!
Being interested to see how some “sports presenters or commentators” cope.
Get the feeling they might struggle as some are hooked on gambling or odds.
@matt_897 – We have to have “Nanny State” laws because too many people are too stupid to act responsibly, then cry out for help.
While it had got a bit excessive, just another way to show the nanny state we live in.
Even though i very rarely bet on any sporting games, i think that reducing live odd betting during sporting events is a great idea.
Agree, it got well out of hand
Great news. I am so sick of seeing gambling promoted during NRL broadcasts in particular.
Great news! Hopefully alcohol commercials are next and we can finally live in a society where sport isn’t associated with such addictive and damaging things.
That’s excellent news, TV gambling plugs should be put in the same category as cigarette advertisements.
But I’ll bet you 100 to 1 that the NRL commentators will induge in some “unscripted comment” about the ‘interferring nanny state government laws’ during this weekend’s games.
Hooray.