Australian Prime Minister Backtracks on Gambling Ad Ban

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has seemingly backtracked on suggestions that the government would introduce a ban on gambling ads saying  “The problem isn’t advertising, the problem is gambling.”

Speaking on ABC radio today, Albanese said that the blanket ban on gambling ads, which was recommended in the the government inquiry into the effects of online gambling on problem gamblers, was not the ‘bold’ move that many made it out to be.

He said:

“The easy option is just to (ban ads) and not worry about the consequences for sporting codes, junior sport, the media.”

He went on to highlight that lotteries and scratch cards were the most popular forms of gambling in Australia with as many as 64% of adults taking part in these forms of gambling in 2022 alone. This compares to 38% betting on racing and 33% who bet on sports.

He added:

“I haven’t seen a campaign about advertising lotteries – which is a far bigger problem than sports gambling,”

However, Mr Albanese noted lotteries and scratchies were the most common gambling products, with 64 per cent of Australian adults participating in 2022.

A number of politicians spoke out in opposition to his comments including Independent Senator David Pocock:

“This is about banning advertising so gambling stops being normalised for children. Kevin Rudd had the guts as prime minister to take on Big Tobacco and legislate plain packaging. Anthony Albanese needs to show the same courage here and ban gambling advertising.”

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young took it a step further saying that the prime minister was failing to fulfill his own promise after  Albanese had previously said the status quo on gambling ads was “completely unacceptable” and vowed further reforms.

“He’s dead wrong and it is extremely disappointing to see him backtracking. The single most important thing we should do is stop the gambling industry from being able to advertise, just like we’ve done with tobacco, and just like we do on other issues.

If the prime minister cares about community sport, he should fund community sport – hiding behind limp excuses created and parroted by the gambling lobby is not leadership.”

Members of the prime minister’s own have also called on him to carry out the recommendations of Ms Murphy’s report, which called for a total ban on gambling ads phased in over three years. No action has been taken following the publication of the inquiry’s results almost 15 months ago.

According to the latest Australian Gambling Statistics, Australians have the largest losses in the world with customers losing approximately AU$1,635 each year to gambling.

Olivia Richardson

Olivia has worked as an editor and writer for major brands across multiple niches. She now focuses on the iGaming and sports betting industries.