Australian Liberals Seek to Ban Ads during Sports Broadcasts

Peter Dutton, leader of the Australian Opposition and head of the Liberal Party, held a speech, criticizing his political opponents for neglecting the Australian people and slamming the ubiquitous gambling ads people are showered with.

Footy Time Is Family Time

Gambling ads continue to be one of the hot topics of the contemporary gambling industry. As more and more markets mature, they realize the need of balancing a profitable gambling ecosystem with social responsibility.

This balance is yet to be struck in Australia, Dutton argues. Addressing the problem, the politician said that gambling ads are bombarding Australians during family time.

In our country, footy time is family time. But the bombardment of betting ads takes the joy out of televised sports.

Peter Dutton, leader of the Liberal Party

To make matters worse, ads are changing how people look at sports, Dutton argued. He noted that ads are normalizing gambling and forcing kids to associate sports with wagering at a young age.

The Australian Families Have Had Enough

Fearing that ads are changing the Australian culture in a bad way, Dutton proposed the introduction of a ban that would prevent sportsbooks from promoting their products during sports broadcasts. He also suggested banning ads for an hour before and after an event airs.

Australian families have had enough and that’s why tonight I announced that a coalition government will move to ban sports betting advertising during the broadcasting of games. Ads would be banned for an hour each side of a sporting game.

Peter Dutton, leader of the Liberal Party

Dutton asked the Prime Minister to work with the coalition on this initiative and protect Australian customers from gambling harm.

Dutton then proceeded to talk about the Liberal Party’s plans to create more jobs and help people deal with the economic headwinds. He critiqued his opponents, saying that very few Australians can say that they are better off now than they were 12 months ago when the Labor Party won the elections.

Many Are Unhappy with the Industry’s Aggressive Marketing

The idea of banning ads is nothing new and is a measure that is currently being implemented or discussed in other major gambling markets all over the world. While banning ads has the clear downside of hurting the gambling industry (and the sports industry in regions where bans of gambling sponsorships are discussed), many believe that it will protect at-risk people from harm.

In Ontario, a new group advocates for the total ban of gambling ads, following a Toronto Maple Leafs game during which customers were constantly bombarded with ads. Although the region already has strict restrictions, certain people believe that a complete ban, like the ones in Italy and Spain, would be better.

Similar bans were discussed in Estonia and Ireland.