SYDNEY: Australia should phase out online gambling advertising within three years, a parliamentary commission of inquiry said Wednesday (June 28) that online gambling has caused a ‘large increase’ in one of the world’s largest gambling markets. recommended with the aim of limiting “disruption”.
The Commission made 31 recommendations on how online gambling, which is changing sports culture, should be regulated and how Australians struggling with addiction should be helped.
Commission chair Peta Murphy said Australians spend more on online gambling than citizens of any other country, in a report titled ‘Some wins but more losses’. .
“This is wreaking havoc on our community,” Murphy said.
Murphy said online gambling companies intentionally and strategically promote their advertising alongside sports, normalizing it as a fun, harmless and social activity.
Murphy added that young Australians see gambling and sports as inextricably linked, adding that gambling is changing sports culture.
Mr Murphy said: “Australia will decline if sport becomes so preoccupied with gambling revenue that providing betting opportunities is seen as the main purpose of sport.”
The Commission said a gradual and comprehensive ban on all gambling advertising in all media, broadcast and online, was needed, leaving no room for circumvention.
It recommended phasing out the ban over three years to give sports organizations and broadcasters enough time to find alternative sources of advertising revenue.
The ban is a big deal for online gaming companies such as London-listed Flutter Entertainment, owner of Australia’s most popular gambling app, Sportsbet, Entein, owner of the third-largest app Ladbrokes, and Tabcorp Holdings. will be a setback.
Australia is the world’s largest gambling powerhouse in terms of per capita losses. The country’s gambling industry has been in the spotlight in recent years, with public investigations criticizing big casino operators for failing to protect money laundering.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced public facilities to close, the problem of gambling moved more broadly online.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would consider the recommendations.
“We need to address the online problem, the social media problem and the whole picture holistically,” Albanese told ABC Gold Coast Radio.
