Demands to prohibit wagering promotions in Australia have reemerged.
International gaming firms experienced a surge in earnings during the COVID-19 outbreak, leading the Alliance for Gambling Reform to revive its push to halt sports betting commercials nationwide.
The Alliance’s primary spokesperson, Reverend Tim Costello, contends that the national government is failing to adequately safeguard Australians, emphasizing that sports wagering is the nation’s most rapidly expanding gambling sector. Studies reveal that sports betting doubled in scale in the five years preceding 2017/18, with yearly losses now surpassing AU$1 billion (US$7.655 billion).
Overseas betting corporations such as Entain and Flutter Entertainment profit from the Northern Territory’s lenient tax regulations, which limit gambling levies to AU$575,000 annually.
The Alliance for Gambling Reform is now urging Australia to emulate other nations in completely prohibiting the promotion of gambling.
“We must be proactive in tackling this problem, and the most straightforward and efficient method is to outlaw gambling advertisements,” stated Costello. “Other nations, including Italy, have implemented this measure because they acknowledge the detrimental effects of gambling and deem it wholly inappropriate to promote it.
“It is high time Australia followed suit.”
Nevertheless, Costello encountered opposition from Brent Jackson, CEO of industry group Responsible Wagering Australia, who asserted that the issue is entirely unfounded.
Jackson emphasized the diminishing issue of gambling addiction despite the surge in sports wagering. He noted that grievances regarding betting commercials are at an unprecedented minimum, constituting a minuscule portion of overall advertising objections. This implies that the Australian gambling sector is largely performing well, and Costello’s apprehensions are unfounded.