Usman Khawaja Urges Ban on Gambling Ads in Sport

Australian international cricketer who proudly represents his country in Test cricket and also leads the Brisbane Heat, Usman “Uzzie” Khawaja, has accused the federal government of being “100% too slow” in acting on gambling reform. 

Children Gambling, Turning Into the Norm

Speaking at Parliament House alongside crossbench MPs, doctors, and public health experts, Khawaja, who also plays for Queensland, demanded that leaders cut all ties between sport and betting to increase protection of young people from harm. 

The 38-year-old called the relationship that young children have with gambling “scary” and “dangerous”, describing it as something of the norm.

“I can’t watch an NRL game without getting odds right before a game … There are 16-year-olds with gambling accounts and they cannot watch the game without putting a bet on.”, he went on.

Khawaja’s intervention comes amid the Albanese government facing mounting pressure to respond to a bipartisan parliamentary report led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, which recommended a complete ban on gambling advertising after a three-year phase-out. 

While legislation was expected before the next election, industry lobbying from broadcasters, sports organizations, and sportsbooks stalled the process, with the government proposing a cap on TV ads instead of a full ban.

“You Have to Go Cold Turkey”

Communications minister Annika Wells has since reopened talks, and several gambling insiders expect legislation later this year. However, Khawaja insists this type of reform would not suffice. 

“Ban gambling from sport – it’s quite simple,” he said. “You have to go cold turkey, it’s the same as what happened with tobacco.”

The cricketer also met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers, though Chalmers later clarified their conversation focused on foreign policy issues. Still, he praised Khawaja as a “wonderful humanitarian” and “a leader of real substance.”

Experts agreed with Khawaja’s concerns, issuing warnings that the government’s hesitation will play into the hands of the gambling lobby. Samantha Thomas, a public health professor at Deakin University, stated that the notion that restrictions would prompt people to seek out illegal offshore platforms was largely a talking point from the industry. Independent analysis, she argued, shows advertising bans would not harm broadcasters as much as claimed.

Instead, an Alliance for Gambling Reform report we spoke about at the end of June estimated the cost of gambling-related harm for Victoria residents alone well over the $9 billion (AUD 14 billion) mark in 2022–23.

Dr Kerrie Aust of the Australian Medical Association described gambling’s growing links to mental health issues and substance abuse, calling it “disappointing” that more steps have not been taken to properly “address the really good evidence” in Murphy’s report. 

“We want kids and young people playing sport and having their heroes without a constant stream of gambling advertising.”, Aust added. Independent MP Kate Chaney bluntly accused the government of “listening to the money from gambling, sport and the media” instead of listening to what he community has to say.