Labor faces mounting pressure from independents and the Greens to expedite its reform agenda on online gambling ads after a parliamentary inquiry recommended a total ban within three years.
The recommendation was among 30 others detailed in a report titled “You win some, you lose more” that was published on Wednesday morning, recommending the Albanese government roll out the total ban in four phases over three years.
It also recommended the government establish a national online gambling ombudsman, and levy online gambling companies to pay for harm reduction measures.
Independent MP for Goldstein Zoe Daniel said the phased approach would afford “gambling giants and other vested interests” too much time to “water down” the committee’s recommendations and “dilute the government’s resolve to act”.
“Three more years that would see the thousands more young people hooked into risky behaviour that could affect their mental health and financial well-being for the rest of their lives, as the committee acknowledges,” Daniel told Crikey.
“Given the committee has acknowledged the extent of the problem, the government should act now and ban all gambling advertising wherever it appears as soon as legislatively possible.”
The first phase of the total ban recommends the government, with cooperation from states and territories, bans inducements and all forms of online gambling on social media, as well as turfing the exemption for gambling companies to advertise during news and current affairs programs on commercial free-to-air television. This phase would also ban online gambling ads on commercial radio during school drop-off and pick-up times.
The second phase would see a ban on all online gambling advertising and commentary on odds, both during sports broadcasts and within an hour before or after a game, and also a ban on gambling ads in stadiums and on player uniforms.
Phase three has a blanket ban on online gambling ads between 6am and 10pm, before the introduction of a total ban on all online gambling advertising and sponsorship which would come in by the end of the third year.
The recommendations come on the heels of fierce debate, which has seen both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton weigh in with varying shades of disapproval for gambling advertising during sports matches.
Concerns over the timeline were shared by the Greens communications spokeswoman Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who said the timeline would leave the door open to aggressive lobbying from the gambling industry.
“These recommendations are welcome but the Greens are concerned that the government has not backed them immediately. The communications minister can and should act immediately to crack down on gambling ads,” she said.
“Footy finals are just around the corner and parents and sports lovers shouldn’t have to sit through another finals season being bombarded with betting odds and gambling ads.”
Earlier this month, independent MP for Warringah Zali Steggall joined growing calls across the lower house for greater restrictions on gambling advertising. Both Daniel and Rebekha Sharkie have introduced private members’ bills on the issue.
After the committee tabled its report on Wednesday, Steggall shared Daniel’s concerns on the three-year timeline. She was “uncomfortable” with the phased ban, which runs the risk of “tweaking around the edges” and giving betting companies a way out.
“I think it’s urgent, and the scale of it at the moment is overwhelming,” Steggall told Crikey. “I understand that, from discussions I’ve had with the minister, she is also concerned around not seeing a collapse of media due to loss of revenue.”
The Albanese government has so far withheld wholesale support for the recommendations. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the government would “now consider” the report and engage in further consultation with stakeholders before committing to reform.
“This report provides a comprehensive review of online gambling, and outlines options to reduce gambling harms in Australia,” Rowland said on Wednesday. “I thank the committee for its work, and the many Australians with lived experiences, advocates and industry groups who participated in this process.”
A total ban is understood to put more than $300 million in gambling advertising on the line, risking more than $180 million in ad revenue for television broadcasters. Free TV Australia CEO Bridget Fair, representing all Australia’s commercial free-to-air television licensees, called for a measured response to the recommendations.
The proposed ban was based on a “fundamentally flawed premise” that the ad market was “some kind of magic pudding”: “While we appreciate that there are concerns in the community regarding the volume of gambling ads, kneejerk moves to implement outright bans will ultimately hurt viewers and the television services they love.”
