Independent MPs pushing for blanket ban on gambling ads

On Monday, Independent MP Zoe Daniel submitted a private member’s bill to parliament which would place a total ban on gambling advertisements across numerous media channels.

While speaking to the lower house, Daniel acknowledged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s apparent dislike for gambling ads but emphasised the importance of acting with haste. If approved, the bill would ban the broadcast of gambling advertisements on television, radio, and streaming services.

Albanese previously stated that he personally found gambling ads “annoying”, but halted talks of reforms until the results of a parliamentary inquiry into online gambling are released. The report will also delve into the effect of gambling promotions on underaged individuals.

Labor MP Mike Freelander spoke in support of Daniel’s bill on Monday, preferring it to opposition leader Peter Dutton’s more limited proposal. Dutton’s bill seeks to prohibit gambling ads from airing during sports matches and at least an hour prior.

READ: Dutton pressures Labor for support on gambling advertising ban

Freelander referred to gambling ads as “insidious and malignant” and claimed they were primarily targeted at underaged individuals.

“I don’t think we should be having them on our screens or on our radio. It’s a dangerous industry that has led to a lot of misery,” he said.

“The gambling industry has a lot to answer for – when it comes to regulating the ads, the stricter the better, as far as I’m concerned.”

However, Graham Perrett, a Moreton Labor member, asserted that regardless of the surrounding concern about the effects of gambling ads, “good legislation takes time”.

“When gambling is more pervasive than the sport itself, it’s not a safe environment for families as it should be,” he explained.

Fellow Independents like Sophie Scamps, Zali Steggall, Kate Chaney, Allegra Spender, Kylea Tink, and Monique Ryan expressed their support for Daniel’s bill at a press conference.

Daniel claimed that, like “big tobacco”, the gambling industry will likely combat broadcast changes due to the amount of money being made from “the young, the poor and the desperate in our communities”.

The Independent MP continued, “But with gambling ads at saturation levels and invading the minds of our young people in ever more insidious ways, to the extent that multis are now of more interest than the games themselves, we must act.”

Although the move to ban gambling ads has support among Australian voters, television broadcasters claim that it could prove to be costly and negatively affect free sports on television.

In a statement, communications minister Michelle Rowland acknowledged that although there was growing concern about gambling ads, it was essential to have a comprehensive approach to any potential reforms.

“We want to ensure our approach to reform is comprehensive and evidence-based, and examines the multiple channels over which advertising is delivered including broadcast, social media and branding,” Rowland said.

“Labor – both in opposition and in government – has a strong record on minimising harms associated with online gambling.”

Rowland was criticised earlier this year for receiving donations from online gambling giant Sportsbet ahead of the 2022 elections. At the time, she claimed that her actions had not violated any rules and that Labor would continue to hold its stance on gambling ads.

More gambling news