A proposed ban on gambling commercials is one of the controversial issues that the Australian Parliament will be debating in the upcoming weeks. The Parliament met for spring session on Monday.

Both government officials on both sides of the court have proposed restricting or outlawing commercials that promote the nation's enormous gaming industry, given that problem gambling rates continue to remain at levels that many in the public and mental health specialists find intolerable. While cross-bench parties are pushing for a total ban, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor Party government is anticipated to advocate for a cap on gambling-related television advertising.

The Labor proposal would outlaw gambling advertisements on television and the internet during kid-friendly programs. Additionally, advertising for gambling would only be allowed to run one hour before and after the start and end of live sporting events.

On-field and in-stadium signage would stay, though, as would the ability for gambling companies to sponsor jerseys. The Greens support the Albanese government's preference for limiting gambling advertisements rather than outright prohibiting them.

"Recognizing that this is a complex issue, we’re taking a comprehensive approach,” said Albanese.

Of the 151 House seats and the 76 Senate seats, labor holds 25 of them. 

Split Among Lawmakers

Australia has a well-deserved reputation for having some of the greatest yearly per capita gambling losses worldwide. Nearly 50% of men report gambling every week, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, which estimates that four out of ten Australians bet at least once a week.

Popular forms of gambling include lotteries, sports betting, horse racing, and pokies, or slot machines, which can be found at casinos, bars, and clubs. Australians who gamble lose over AU$30 billion (US$20 billion) annually.

The Alliance for Gambling Reform, which wrote to Parliament before its spring meeting pushing the government to restrict all gambling commercials, has endorsed the Green Party. The alliance is a non-profit, autonomous committee that works to lessen the negative effects of gaming in Australia.

"There is strong evidence that gambling companies are now grooming our kids by targeting children as young as 14 through social media,” the Alliance for Gambling Reform’s letter to Parliament read. “Our children are also being targeted by the tsunami of gambling ads that assault our screens, especially around coverage of our major sporting codes. It is ensnaring a whole new generation of gamblers.”

The government and opposition are urged in the letter "to publicly commit to the swift adoption and implementation" of each and every one of the Murphy Report's 2023 recommendations. The late Labor MP Peta Murphy, who passed away in December 2023 from breast cancer, led the investigation that suggested a complete prohibition on advertisements for gaming.

Along with health professionals, 74 MPs, both present and past, have signed the alliance letter. Former prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and John Howard are among the signatories. 

United Public

To find out how the public thinks about gambling advertisements on television continuing to interrupt commercial breaks, the Australian Institute of Family Studies commissioned a poll in 2023.

The majority of the 1,765 persons polled stated that their decision to gamble was affected by "seeing or hearing wagering advertising." The majority also reasoned that this kind of marketing increases the risk of gambling-related harm for young people.

According to the investigation, Australians "predominately support" tighter regulations on gambling advertisements.