Senator Nick Xenophon’s proposed bill to ban gambling ads during sports broadcasts in Australia is looking very unlikely, after a Senate Estimates Committee found the measures were not necessary because of the federal government’s reforms.
According to the ABC, the ban was proposed by Xenophon and his political party, NXT, as part of a private bill, along with the establishment of a national regulator and a national self-exclusion register for gambling addicts.
The bill is separate to the government’s Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill that was introduced last year.
The ABC noted that in its submission to the Senate inquiry, The Australian Psychological Society said “the proliferation of gambling advertising, particularly sports betting, is positioning gambling as an integral and ‘normal’ part of enjoying sports, and is paving the way for young Australians to become the new generation of problem gamblers”.
Furthermore, the Gambling Impact Society of NSW told the inquiry that gambling ads often created “triggers” for those battling gambling problems.
However, the ABC claims broadcasters and sports betting organisations got the upper hand in arguing against a ban, saying people under 18 “comprise a very small proportion of the audience for live sports events on television”.
The federal government revealed plans to significantly slash ads for online gambling sites during live sporting broadcasts in an attempt to win support from the Senate crossbench earlier this month.
