May 05, 2017 Coalition to ban gambling-related ads during live sports coverage. Said the new restriction would ban gambling ads from five minutes before the commencement of play until five minutes after the. Mar 05, 2013 Gambling advertising during sports broadcasts should be put in the same category as alcohol and smoking and severely restricted, a psychology expert warns. Ban gambling ads in. Gambling is totally addictive and the gambling adverts on television should be banned. They prey on vulnerable people who may be in financial difficulty and you can’t avoid them. They are shown on sports breaks when children are watching so they start thinking it’s normal.
Updated May 06, 2017 23:34:40
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed the Government will ban gambling advertising before 8.30pm during live sporting events, and for five minutes before and after the start of play.
Key points:
- Sporting executives fear move will slash value of television rights
- Change will not apply to racing
- Free-to-air television networks' $130m broadcast licences will be replaced with $40m 'spectrum charges'
ABC News revealed last month that the plan had been taken to Cabinet.
It faced a backlash from the executives of some of the nation's biggest sporting codes, who argued restricting gambling advertising would slash the value of the television rights their codes attract.
But speaking in the United States before his flight back to Australia on Saturday morning, Mr Turnbull said the plan would go ahead.
'Parents around Australia will be delighted when they know that during football matches, and cricket matches, live sporting events before 8:30pm, there will be no more gambling ads,' he said.
'There are no gambling ads allowed before 8:30pm generally, but there's been an exception for a long time, of live sporting events.'
Mr Turnbull said the ban would not apply to racing.
Executives from the AFL and NRL had been lobbying Communications Minister Mitch Fifield to scrap the plans.
ABC News had also been told Cricket Australia was pushing against the change.
After 8:30pm, the status quo will remain.
'The gambling companies have actually been at the forefront of calling for just these types of restrictions,' Senator Fifield said.
'The Responsible Wagering Council have been urging the Government to look at this area because they recognise that there's a need for change.'
Ban a 'good, big first step': Xenophon
The gambling policy could help secure Senate crossbench support for other media reforms dealing with ownership and reach restrictions.
Online Gambling Banned
Why all gambling ads should be banned
Restrictions on gambling advertisements during sports broadcasts may help those with gambling problems Christopher Hunt writes.
Senator Nick Xenophon has long campaigned for restrictions to gambling advertising, and commands three votes in the Upper House.
He described the announcement as a 'good, big first step', but said he wanted further protections put in place to force regional broadcasters to produce local content as part of any broader media shakeup.
The Greens seemed unlikely to support the measures, while Labor maintained it needed to see the detail.
'We do want to see a diversity of voices available in the Australian media environment,' Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek said.
'We need to see the details of what the Government is proposing, what we frequently see is that Malcolm Turnbull delivers less than people expect.'
The Coalition has also proposed changes to the 'anti-siphoning list' which makes sure certain sports are broadcast on free-to-air networks, giving pay television a better chance of bidding for major events.
Government 'scraps licence fees' to fund lost ad revenue
The nation's free-to-air television networks had also raised concerns it would eat into their advertising revenue, and demanded their Commonwealth licence fees be cut to fund the losses.
Networks pay about $130 million per year for their broadcast licences.
Under the new model, that would be replaced by what is called a 'spectrum charge' of about $40 million.
'In the last budget I cut free-to-air licence fees by 25 per cent, my predecessors have also cut licence fees,' Senator Fifield said.
'So it's been something that both sides of politics have recognised that the licence fees are something that are really from a bygone era.
'What we have done is taken the opportunity to not only provide a shot in the arm for free-to-air broadcasters, but we have taken this opportunity to provide a community dividend in the form of further gambling advertising restrictions.'
Free TV Australia said it was a 'tremendous' package that had been agreed to by the industry.
'There's nowhere else in the world that licence fees are charged like this, it was a complete anomaly,' chairman Harold Mitchell said.
Australia's third largest network, Network Ten, had been hoping for a cut in its licence fees as it battles to survive in the tough television advertising market.
'The Government's package provides very welcome, immediate financial relief for all commercial free-to-air television broadcasters,' Network Ten chief executive Paul Anderson said.
'It provides a boost for local content and the local production sector.
'Recent financial results and announcements from across the Australian media industry clearly demonstrate that this is a sector under extreme competitive pressure from the foreign-owned tech media giants.
'This package is not just about Ten or free-to-air television. It is about ensuring that there is a future for Australian media companies.'
Topics:gambling, sport, advertising-and-marketing, business-economics-and-finance, government-and-politics, federal-government, community-and-society, australia
First posted May 06, 2017 07:30:34
Should Political Ads Be Banned
The Turnbull government is reportedly considering banning the advertising of gambling during televised sporting broadcasts. This is not a new idea: Senator Nick Xenophon has long championed a ban, as have many who work with problem gamblers.
It has been reported that more than one-in-six ads shown during AFL matches are gambling-related. So, could advertising be linked with rates of problem gambling?
Evidence suggests ads have an impact
Increases in problem gambling linked to sports betting have been reported in recent years, particularly among young men. The numbers of 18-to-25-year-old men with problems related to sports betting doubled between 2012 and 2015 at the University of Sydney’s Gambling Treatment Clinic (where I work).
At the same time, gambling odds and prices have become a central part of sporting culture. The “gamblification” of sport is now seen as both a normal and central component of it. In pre-game reporting, the prices and odds are seen as being as important as player injuries and weather conditions.
Being able to draw a clear line between increased promotion of gambling and rates of problem gambling is not easy. Given there are always multiple factors why someone develops a gambling problem, it is never as clear-cut as blaming advertising. However, some evidence exists to suggest advertising has impacts on problem gamblers.
Interview research and large-scale survey work have both suggested that gambling ads during sport strongly affect many problem gamblers by increasing their desire to gamble when trying to cut down. Therefore, restrictions on advertising may be effective in helping those with problems to manage their urges to gamble.
Another widespread concern about gambling advertising during sports broadcasts is the impact it might be having on young people. There is evidence this advertising can have an impact.
A study of Canadian adolescents found the majority had been exposed to gambling advertising. It also found this advertising was leading to the belief that the chance of winning was high, and that gambling was an easy way to make money.
These findings are particularly concerning. In our work with problem gamblers, we have found these beliefs are crucial to the development of gambling problems.
Typically, when examining a problem gambler’s history, we find they were exposed to gambling at a young age and developed positive attitudes toward gambling at the time. In particular, a distorted belief in the likelihood of winning appears to be a key driver in many of our patients who developed problems.
Thus, advertising that promotes the idea that gambling is an easy way to make money is likely to prime our kids for developing gambling problems in the future.
What we can learn from tobacco ad bans
Would a ban on the advertising of gambling during sport broadcasts change attitudes toward gambling and gambling behaviour? Here, evidence on the impacts of tobacco advertising is instructive.
Should Ads Be Banned
Tobacco advertising has been progressively restricted or banned in many countries. Thus, considerable evidence is available to make conclusions. There appears to be clear evidence that tobacco advertising does result in increased rates of smoking in adolescents.
It has also been found that bans on tobacco advertising appear to be effective in reducing tobacco use – but only in the case of complete bans. In contrast, attempts to limit bans on advertising to certain mediums – such as banning ads on TV – appear not to be effective, as this simply results in increases in tobacco advertising in non-banned media (in print or on billboards, for instance).
This suggests that for any restriction of gambling advertising to be effective, it needs to be widespread. Such displacement has already been seen with gambling. There is evidence of increased social media promotion of gambling, which has resulted in increases in positive attitudes toward gambling in those exposed to these promotions.
There is not yet any demonstrated definitive link between increases in gambling advertising during sports and problem gambling. However, the research that has been conducted indicates that advertising may result in increased gambling by problem gamblers and increases in distorted beliefs about gambling in young people.
If the government chooses to go down the path of increasing restrictions on gambling advertising, it is important that any restrictions are wide-ranging enough to have a clear impact on gambling behaviours and attitudes.
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