The ACT government is stepping up its campaign against gambling as the media watchdog reports an explosion in adverting by online gambling sites.
The ACT attorney-general Shane Rattenbury condemned a "constant barrage of ads".
He called for a ban on advertising, saying that children were now talking about the odds on the result of sports matches. Gambling was becoming "normalised" and that was deeply worrying, he said.
The new report by the Australian Communications and Media Authority said that more than one million adverts for online gambling aired on free-to-air television and radio in 12 months.
The watchdog calculated that $238m was spent in a year by companies on the advertising campaigns.
In what has been designated "Gambling Harm Awareness Week", the ACT government is pointing people who are in difficulty because of their gambling towards "the ACT Gambling Support Service (which) provides a 24-hour confidential, free services that can assist".
It says: "You can speak to a support person on 1800 858 858."
In June, a federal parliamentary committee recommended a ban on all gambling advertising within three years.
It also recommended the appointment of a regulator to control online gambling.
The recommendations were welcomed by Mr Rattenbury and by an academic who specialises in studying the impact of gambling.
"Preventing harm is a better goal than the current practice of ignoring harms until they become overwhelming," Charles Livingstone of the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University said.
"Building a fence at the top of the cliff, rather than providing a fleet of ambulances at the bottom, seems sensible."
The chief executive of the Gambling and Racing Commission Yu-Lan Chan said: "During the last ACT survey, 17,000 adults in the ACT reported experiencing harm from either their own or someone else's gambling."
"These impacts include health and wellbeing, relationships, friendships, work and study - not just financial losses."
- The National Gambling Helpline is on 1800 858 858.
