Mission worker wants gambling ads completely prohibited

Anti-gambling advocates are not satisfied with the gambling ad ban and are calling for the complete prohibition instead.

Despite new gambling reforms which will make the advertisement of live odds during sporting matches on TV and radio from five minutes before the game to five minutes after it ends, or 8:30 pm – whichever comes sooner – gambling counsellors want more done.

Riverina gambling counsellor, Rob Nickle, has praised the new restrictions that corporate bookmakers are also supporting, but he wants complete prohibition instead.

The Mission Australia worker said by the completely banning the ads it would reduce the impacts on problem gamblers, their families, and the wider community.

“By reducing exposure to sports betting, you go a long way in reducing the negative impacts of problem gambling,” Nickle said.

“The issue is increasing, particularly among young males.

“Sports betting is everywhere and we know that clients experiencing problems with sports betting often say how difficult it is to manage because of the saturation of gambling advertising during sporting events as well as 24-hour access on the internet and mobile phones.

“It really makes giving up gambling a very challenging task.”

Nickle believes problem gamblers who are being exposed to sports betting ads regularly “are not only experiencing financial crisis, but also a range of other concerns including relationship breakdown, homelessness and depression.”

“That’s why these changes are so important so that as the industry grows, we can enforce measures that will minimise harm for people who are problem gamblers or at risk of becoming a problem gambler.”

Would the complete prohibition of gambling ads help problem gambling?

When the federal government first announced the banning of gambling ads, broadcasters were angry while corporate bookmakers were happy to support the move.

Corporate bookies spend a lot on advertising and broadcasters make a lot by airing these ads during sporting events. It also affords free-to-air TV networks to air sporting matches. In exchange for the reduction in ads, the government has compensated broadcasters by reducing licensing fees.

The reduction will help problem gamblers and young children from being exposed, but the impacts probably won’t be significant. This is because we live in a digital age and if someone wants something all they have to do is type specifically what they’re after into Google.

It’s the cries of few making a large noise in this case – most people simply don’t care what is on TV during the break in the footy or NRL. Most people are oblivious to what the odds are on a certain sporting they are watching.

Australian states need a uniformed approach built from educated and researched opinions, not knee jerk reactions like banning advertising completely – believe it or not there are some of us that enjoy a bet and don’t have a gambling problem.

A good start would be forming the Australian Gambling Commission which would include a diverse group of industry representatives and some from problem gambling and education groups.

This would allow us to ditch the scattergun approach to things like advertising and come up with a long-term plan to continue both the growth of the gambling industry (which provides thousands of jobs across Australia) and safeguards those who are prone to problem gambling.