In an address to the National Press Club in Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced major restrictions on gambling advertising, in what is believed to be one of the most significant reforms to the industry.
The changes include banning gambling advertisments on radio during school drop-off and pick-up times, limiting the number of advertisements airing on television, to three per hour between 6am and 8.30pm, restricting the use of celebrity endorsements and removing branding from sports uniforms and stadiums.
“We are getting the balance right,” Prime Minister Albanese told the Press Club.
“Letting adults have a punt if they want to, but making sure our children don’t see betting ads everywhere they look.”
Recovering gambling addict, Scott Collins, 44, agrees that constant advertising is a major issue when trying to heal addiction.
“I attribute the way gambling is advertised a lot to my addiction. It’s how it started,” Mr Collins said.
“Everywhere I looked — during games, on my phone, even on the radio — there was another ad. It didn’t feel like a choice after a while, it just felt normal.”
In 2023, the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) found that 78 per cent of Australian adults reported seeing or hearing gambling advertising at least once a week in the last 12 months, while 41 per cent were exposed four or more times a week.
After consistent exposure, 21 per cent of people with no prior relationship to gambling became involved, while 28 per cent of people with previous experience changed betting habits, 29 per cent bet on impulse and 34 per cent increased the amount they bet.
Groups who are most vulnerable to gambling advertising were young people (aged 18-34 years) and people at risk of gambling harm (those who had engaged in gambling in the past 12 months).
Nineteen per cent of young women and 15 per cent of young men became first-time betters after exposure to gambling advertising.
Fifty per cent of people at risk of gambling harm reported intensifying their betting in response to advertising, while 40-41 per cent changed betting behaviour or impulsivity.
The AIFS findings indicate that gambling advertising is not only influencing behaviour, it is actively driving participation and risk, underscoring the need for reform and contextualising the plans of the Albanese government.
Mr Collins sees the new restrictions on gambling advertising as a meaningful first step in recognising the harm caused by the industry.
“If the advertising wasn’t so prevalent, I don’t think things would have escalated the way they did,” Mr Collins said.
While the reform falls short of a total ban, it signals an important shift in the social conversation surrounding gambling advertising.
