Opprobrium for the massive over-exposure of sports betting advertisements in mainstream media tends to be directed at gambling companies, but the blame for what will almost certainly be a new wave of restrictions — perhaps even an outright ban — falls on our biggest media companies.
The Labor-controlled standing committee on social policy and legal affairs’ report on online gambling — initiated by Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth — calls for, among other recommendations, a three-year phase-in of a full ban on all advertising for online gambling. It’s a unanimous report because the Coalition, unusually under leader Peter Dutton, has deftly jumped ahead of Labor and called for a ban. The only quibbling is why wait three years.
Dutton’s proposed ban attracted support from voters, with 70% in favour of a ban on betting advertising for an hour each side of televised sport, according to polling — unsurprising given the intense loathing that gambling ads elicit from TV viewers.
Big media companies have only themselves to blame for engineering such community animosity, having become addicted to revenue from gambling advertising, which is estimated at $300 million a year. Front and centre are the commercial free-to-air networks, via one of the country’s most rapacious lobby groups, FreeTV, which insisted in a submission to the inquiry that there were no problems with the level of gambling ads or how children were exposed to them.
According to FreeTV, commercial television is a vast economic boon to Australia worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and any further restriction on gambling advertising would hamper its ability to “create jobs, provide trusted local news, tell Australian stories, give Australians a voice and nurture Australian talent”.
Should any ban or further restriction go ahead, watch for FreeTV to ramp up this stuff and demand further cuts in spectrum fees.
FreeTV’s radio mini-me, Commercial Radio Australia, parroted similar nonsense, claiming it “produces and broadcasts an enormous amount of high-quality local content that is transmitted daily by Australian commercial radio stations. This content spans a range of formats, including local and national news, talk, sport, entertainment and music. The unparalleled volume of local and national news provided by the commercial radio industry is vital to the democratic process in Australia.” Who knew Australian journalism was dependent on all those gambling ads?
A disturbing addition to the inevitable carping from commercial broadcasters came from SBS, which joined the commercial networks in insisting there was no problem with the regulation of gambling advertising (plus the additional restrictions that SBS carefully noted it had placed on itself). SBS had only a “low level of complaint” about its gambling ads.
The only major media company publicly absent from the inquiry process was News Corp. The Murdochs have a stake in the debate not just via advertising revenue but through its $49 million investment in online gambling company Betr — reflecting the company’s foray into the US gambling market via Fox Bet.
But ever since Betr’s high-profile 100-1 odds launch during last year’s Melbourne Cup, there’s been a steady stream of bad news: two News Corp directors left the board; the company was fined for the 100-1 promotion; it missed out on crucial acquisitions; founder Matthew Tripp had to deny the outfit was about to fold. It’s been up for sale for the past two months.
News Corp may have sniffed the regulatory wind and avoided hooking itself to a revenue stream loaded with serious moral problems (normally not an impediment at the company, admittedly), community hatred and high and growing levels of regulation.
That leaves most of the rest of Australia’s major media companies implacably opposed to the public interest and strong community sentiment, one the direct result of their lack of judgment about how much offensive, in-your-face gambling advertising was enough.
The debate that the inquiry report occasions will be a significant test of whether the major TV and radio broadcasters can put the public interest ahead of their own revenues — something none of them has been noteworthy for doing for most of the past century in Australia.
The other test is for Labor. NSW Labor is soft on gambling, whatever the theatre of Premier Chris Minns’ ban on “VIP Lounge” signs. The Minns government has delayed both its much-vaunted and useless “trial” of cashless pokies, and stopped former treasurer Matt Kean’s tax on the despicable Star Casino on the basis that there hadn’t been “consultation” (gambling companies get to be consulted on how much tax they pay, when the rest of us just have to stump up).
Has the NSW disease infected federal Labor? In 2021-22, the federal branch collected more than $700,000 in donations from gambling companies, including a whopping $110,000 from Sportsbet. Plus there was the $67,000 in pocket change from the TV networks.
Let’s see if that was money well spent by gambling and media interests, or if they all turn out to be mug punters.
Do you want sports gambling ads banned immediately or are you OK with a three-year phase-out? Let us know by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
The irony for me (and I’m sure I’m not the only one) is that I’ve mostly stopped watching live sports broadcasts on free to air TV because, much as I may enjoy watching the sport, I detest the endless gambling ads far more. The broadcasters have shot themselves in the foot courtesy of their own greed.
And you know what else I’ve discovered since curtailing my sports viewing? I have far better things to do with my time and life than sitting in front of the idiot box watching a bunch of overpaid prima donnas interrupt the ad broadcasts with their on-field antics. Things like actually getting out and playing something myself.
Win for me, and a loss for all the blood-sucking parasites. Delicious!
Due to the infrequency of my AFL team’s games being shown on free-to-air I bit the bullet & subscribed to Kayo. Naively, I assumed a streaming service would not have ads – after all, it had thousands (millions?) of subscription fees. But the game is riddled with the usual Sportsbet ads, other ads and infinite Foxtel promos – there’s no escape. I would be more than willing to pay a higher subscription for a service with no ads whatsoever. Where’s that option….?
Problem is, Zut, that most if not all the subscription/pay TV services started out spruiking “no ads” and then …. Well, turns out they were lying, weren’t they. Get ’em in then shift the goal posts was the credo. It can be safely assumed that any new players in our fabulous ethics-free, bleed-em-dry world of business would follow suit.
On the subject of Kayo, hands up all those who remember signing up to the much cheaper-than-Fox option. Didn’t take much persuasion. Foxtel was/is hugely expensive in spite of all the ads and you couldn’t just get Sport, you had to sign up to one of their other “packages” which were stuffed to the gunnels with garbage (and ads), before you could get Sport.
From memory Kayo was originally around $10. I’m currently paying $30. When Kayo was launched I recall thinking yet another disastrous decision by the Murdoch brains trust, viz setting up a really cheap streaming service in competition with itself. But given the $30 price tag now, yup, they got us in the end. And I’m not giving up Kayo for the same reason you subbed to it, Zut, to see everyone of my AFL team’s games. And, ah, ahem, Go the Maggies 🙂
Kayo launched at $25, Megsays, but to be fair a lot of people halved the cost with a mate. I’m not excusing their actions (we’re now paying more for less) but I thought I would just correct the record. Go Pies.
I think it’s called the ABC. Unfortunately, the only broadcast rights it can afford these days are for those sports that no-one wants to watch.
I’m old enough to remember ABC TV cricket broadcasts in all their glory. Sure, the broadcast quality was abysmal, but it was perfect for falling asleep in front of after a few cold beers on a hot summer afternoon. Plus, the commentators possessed the rudiments of erudition and were worth listening to in their own right.
Yes agreed I cant remember the last time I tried to watch a movie, with 50% advertising and promotions and 50% movie, streaming is the only option for this household.
They saw the honey pot from gambling adverts and bugger the consequences. Can you really have a sports report on prime time news, sponsored by a betting outfit?
They scream for self regulation, but don’t let dollars get in the way
A ban can’t happen soon enough for me. No excuses for Labor to adopt the recommendations for a three year phase in, but they might have to match the Libs on this and go faster.
…not to adopt..
Dutton’s proposal was very weak, negligible. Tabcorp pushed for far stronger restrictions and the report’s recommendations, based on 161 submissions plus results of research go further again.
The Labor Party’s addiction to the gambling teat explains Dutton’s sudden and unexpected display of moral superiority. There is nothing unusual about his actions; this is yet another chance to damage the enemy. For once, the outcome may benefit the Australian population, and a good rap over the knuckles might provide Labor, state and federal, a lesson they deserve.
Sorry Bernard, point of order – any television viewers who experience actual intense loathing for ads, have long since abandoned their aerials and tuners for the internet, where you can watch most of your stuff without ads, if you know how.
Start by installing Brave browser on phone and desktop, to ditch webpage ads, then disable the YouTube app on your phone and watch it in the browser instead, which will block the YouTube ads.
For great victory ✌️
In these tightening economic times there will be viewers who have no choice but to watch their sport on free-to-air rather than via a subscription service. Are we supposed to swallow the vapid theory put forward by networks that no alternative sponsors will materialise once the gambling companies are banned?
There are thousands of industries & businesses in Australia with endless products/services to sell. And the consumer has something concrete to show after parting with their money – unlike betting.