Pressure mounts on Australia PM Anthony Albanese to stick to his principles and apply a blanket ban on gambling advertising across all media disciplines.
This weekend, the Alliance for Gambling Reform, a non-profit organisation combating gambling harms in Australia, published an open letter in response to reports that the Labor government will water down the measures of the Murphy Report.
The letter is endorsed by the signatures of 60 prominent Australians, including former PMs John Howard and Malcolm Turnbull, Lucy Turnbull, former NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, and former Victorian premiers Jeff Kennett and Steve Bracks.
The Alliance calls on the federal government to commit to its pledge to implement the gambling reforms advocated by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, who chaired the Federal Inquiry into Online Gambling, but who passed away in February fighting cancer.
The Labor government is expected to publish shortly the amendments of the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, applying new federal laws on gambling advertising. Titled “You win some, you lose more”, the Murphy Report proposed 31 reforms to apply a “public health response to reduce gambling harms in Australia”.
The headline measure called for the Labor government to begin a ‘phased approach’ to ban online gambling advertising across all media platforms within a three-year timeframe.
As the government’s chief adviser on gambling harms, Peta Murphy backed the measure, which would allow Australian sports and media ample time to “find alternative advertisers and sponsors, while preventing another generation from experiencing escalating gambling harms”.
Further recommendations called for Labor to copy the UK government by imposing a ‘Harms Levy’ on gambling operators, to raise direct funds for public awareness campaigns and to support independent organisation research on harm prevention and to improve treatment support for gambling addiction.
The Labor government and PM Albanese had previously outlined their full support to carry out the recommendations of the Murphy Report. Its measures were detailed as the next phase of federal reforms applied by the government following the enforcement of a credit card ban on gambling transactions and the launch of a national self-exclusion scheme operated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
Yet last week, Australian media reported that Labor would propose a watered-down version of the Murphy Report’s key recommendations on gambling advertising.
Instead of the phased-ban, new proposals will endorse a cap of two gambling adverts per hour until 10pm, and a further ban applied on gambling adverts one hour before and after live sports broadcasts.
PM Albanese, who previously stated that he found “gambling advertising to be annoying”, has been accused of succumbing to the commercial interests of Australian media networks, who called “for a controlled solution instead of a ban”.
Led by the Alliance, reformists have accused Albanese of backtracking on promises, in which the government acknowledges that “Australia has a gambling addiction” in which the public has reported “$25 billion in annual losses – escalating devastating social harm including financial loss, health and mental health issues, partner violence, family break-up and suicide.”
As detailed by the letter: “Gambling advertising in Australia is out of control with one million gambling ads being aired on free-to-air television and radio in just one year.
“We, the undersigned, urge the Government and the Opposition to publicly commit to the swift adoption and implementation of all 31 recommendations of the Murphy Report parliamentary inquiry into online gambling.”
“This includes a 3-year, phased-in ban on all gambling advertising and the banning of inducements and promotions, especially around sports betting, which are unethically used to ensnare people who want to stop gambling.”
As pressure continues to mount, the Labor government’s proposals are still in draft form and have yet to be presented to the cabinet. As stands, there is no clear timeline for the implementation of any new measures.
The final proposals will need to be implemented through legislation in parliament, which could face significant debate and opposition from cross party ministers.
In addition to the broadcast advertising measures, there remains a strong possibility of a full ban on online gambling advertising. Such a move could have far-reaching effects, significantly impacting affiliate marketing, and influencer marketing strategies within the industry
As the government navigates forthcoming challenges, the decision will not only shape the future of gambling regulation in Australia but also test PM Albanese’s commitment to reform an “out of control gambling sector” in the face of powerful commercial interests as opposition demands that Albanese show his hand in the divisive debate of gambling reforms.
https://lotterydaily.com/2024/08/12/highlighted/pm-anthony-albanese-faces-pressure-to-settle-gambling-advertising-laws/