“Cowardly” gambling ad response slammed as too weak to protect children

The Albanese government has been criticised as “cowardly” and accused of delivering a “timid” response to the landmark Murphy inquiry into online gambling, with advocates arguing it will do little to reduce children’s exposure to betting advertisements.

The government’s long-awaited response was tabled in parliament during the federal budget lock-up, where many journalists, analysts and stakeholders were without access to phones or the internet until the Treasurer’s 7:30pm speech.

Independent Senator David Pocock described the move as “cowardly and disrespectful”.

Speaking on the Australia Institute’s Follow the Money podcast, Alliance for Gambling Reform chief executive Martin Thomas said wryly, “After a thousand days of silence, any response was great”.

The 2023 parliamentary inquiry into gambling harms was led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy and championed a phased comprehensive ban on all advertising across legacy, social and online media.

Mr Thomas said the government had fallen well short of the Murphy report’s recommendations.

“The reforms they’re suggesting are far too timid,” he said.

“We are the biggest losers in the world per capita when it comes to gambling.

“We lose $32 billion to gambling every year and it’s not because we, as a culture, are more likely to gamble than other cultures.”

Rather, he argued Australia lacked a regulatory regime “that actually protects us”.

“We are completely bombarded and advertising works.”

Research by the Australia Institute found more than 600,000 Australian children aged between 12 and 17 gamble each year.

“If you’re an Australian teenager, you are more likely to have gambled in the past year than you are to have played any of the most popular team sports,” said Morgan Harrington, the Australia Institute’s Research Manager.

“These relationships with gambling that are formed when Australians are children persist into adulthood and they can develop really harmful habits that could last a lifetime,” he added.

Ms Murphy – who died from breast cancer in late 2023 – wrote in the report that the bipartisan committee had found gambling advertisements were “grooming children and young people”.

“The torrent of advertising is inescapable,” she stated.

“It is manipulating an impressionable and vulnerable audience to gamble online.”

The report featured 31 recommendations, including banning inducements (free bets) and establishing a national gambling regulator to oversee the sector.

“At the time, the Prime Minister said the government would take decisive action and get the balance right,” said Ebony Bennett, podcast host and the deputy director of the Australia Institute.

“It’s fascinating language when they talk about the balance because it’s really setting up a straw man,” said Mr Thomas.

“The government says the balance is between protecting our kids from gambling ads and harm, and those that love a punt.

“No-one is trying to stop anyone from having a punt.

“We are really looking to reduce the harm that gambling causes, and we believe advertising is a key one.”

The government failed to address the recommendations individually and instead referred to its package of gambling reforms announced in April.

It committed to banning all wagering advertising during live sporting events on broadcast channels between 6:00am and 8:30pm, and capping gambling ads on TV to no more than three during the same period.

“After that, it’s a free for all,” said Mr Thomas.

“If you’re watching a night game, pretty much after half time you’ll be slammed with ads.

“What will probably happen is that we’ll just have more ads, but at different times of day” said Dr Harrington.

Australia Institute research shows most Australians are on board with a complete ban.

“What our polling shows is that consistently, three out of four Australians want a ban on gambling ads,” said Dr Harrington.

“Not only is support high and consistent, but it’s true across voting intentions.”

The Alliance for Gambling Reform backed the report’s recommendation for a national gambling regulator “with teeth”, arguing one of the government’s major shortcomings was failing to ban inducements designed to lure people back into gambling.

Mr Thomas told the podcast that sports betting on mobile phones is growing at a “staggering rate” of about 40 per cent a year.

Part of the problem, he argued, is that Australia’s major sporting codes have become increasingly reliant on gambling revenue.

“They argue feverishly that they won’t survive without this, and yet they managed to reap enormous profits.”

He said the AFL and NRL reap “an enormous amount of money” – tens of millions of dollars – from gambling, receiving what he described as “three bites of the cherry” through betting partnerships, broadcast rights deals and a share of losing bets.

“We understand that for every dollar, the AFL and NRL would reap about 10 cents of every dollar loss,” he said.

“So, they’re ripping off their own supporters.”

The reforms will still need to get through parliament with Mr Thomas hoping the coalition “won’t just wave it through”.

Dr Harrington said there was strong public support for tougher action, with polling showing a total ban would be a “really popular public policy”.

“So, really the only thing holding the government back from this kind of reform is their own ambition,” he added.

“This would be really popular and benefit tremendous amount of Australians who are vulnerable to the harms that gambling can cause.”