The AFL chief executive, Gillon McLachlan, has admitted there are too many gambling ads associated with the sport and indicated restrictions will be tightened as the federal government considers a broader crackdown.
McLachlan’s comments come after criticism from politicians, researchers, health professionals, players, gambling addicts and fans who now overwhelmingly support a ban on sports gambling ads on television and radio to reduce community harm.
“I think there is probably too much, yeah,” McLachlan told Melbourne radio station 3AW. “I don’t have a problem that other people do around wagering, I just think the volume is too much. It’s in your face.
“We have a set of restrictions and they are being reviewed at the moment. Probably they will be wound tighter, but we don’t believe in prohibition because all it does is drive it underground or offshore and that has its own set of problems.”
The comments contradict what the peak body for major sporting codes, including the AFL, told a parliamentary inquiry into online gambling harm. The Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports argued the current arrangements were sufficient and further restrictions would reduce grassroots investment.
McLachlan, who will soon depart his role as chief executive, did not repeat that claim and confirmed that next month he would appear before the parliamentary inquiry, which is being used to inform any action taken by the federal government.
“I think, broadly, there is a hell of a lot of wagering advertising and potentially too much,” McLachlan said. “But we don’t believe in prohibition, so it’s about what the right balance is.
“We should be constantly reviewing our exposure and how we interface with different brands and wagering is no different.”
The number of complaints about gambling advertisements almost doubled last financial year, prompting Australia’s media regulator to warn current restrictions were failing to meet community expectations.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority said advertising restrictions were working as intended for broadcast media, but children were increasingly watching sport on streaming services not subject to the same regulations.
Earlier this week, Guardian Australia reported on the AFL Fans Association’s survey of 3,000 people, which found 76% of fans would support a ban on gambling advertisements on television and radio. Another 79% supported a ban on promotions at stadiums.
“Fans are most concerned that the bombardment of gambling advertising for their kids watching football is grooming them as future gamblers and normalising gambling,” the report said.
An AFL spokesperson said the league had already taken some measures to reduce gambling promotions inside stadiums.
“The AFL has strict restrictions surrounding the times that gambling advertising is permitted and have reduced the amount of wagering branding and signage at grounds,” the spokesperson said.
The independent MP Andrew Wilkie, a long-term critic of the AFL’s links with gambling, called on the league to implement change.
“The AFL is completely and utterly out of step and it is beyond time for them to either get on board or get out of the way,” Wilkie said earlier this week.
“Change is coming. There is such a weight of public opinion and concern that a government will be forced to act sooner or later. The community is sick of it.”
