Australian PM candidate pledges live odds ad ban
Head of Liberal-National coalition says government should force through ban if no progress is made by September's election
Australian prime ministerial candidate Tony Abbott has pledged to introduce a ban on the broadcast of live odds during sporting events should he win September’s federal election.
Abbott, who is heading up a coalition of the country’s Liberal and National parties, told newspaper The Australian that the level of gambling advertising around sports was “a significant social nuisance”. He added that while the coalition was “natural deregulators”, it was important that the government should “at least be prepared to step in” to tackle the issue.
His comments come after Australia’s television industry body Free TV Australia (FTA) proposed to restrict the promotion of live odds during sporting broadcasts last month, though this legislation would not cover interstate matches, or commercials during scheduled breaks in play. It followed proposals from the country’s Green Party, which has drafted a bill banning the advertisement or mention of odds during broadcasts.
Abbott added that while he was aware of these moves, he believed that if no progress had been made on the ban by the time the winner of the election is announced later this year, it was the government’s responsibility to act.
“The game should be about performances, not about whether you might make 10 bucks by guessing who scores the first goal,” he explained.
Anti-gambling senator Nick Xenophon has criticised the proposals, accusing them of not going far enough to stamp out potential for corruption in sport. He said that as gambling advertising during G-rated programmes (programmes which are suitable for all) is banned the rules for sports, also considered G-rated, should be no different.
“When codes rely so much on gambling revenue the danger is that the potential for corruption is much bigger,” Xenophon added.
Such suggestions have been criticised by William Hill CEO Ralph Topping, who warned that banning micro-betting and in-play wagering would drive customers to unlicensed sites.
Speaking to The Australian in March, Topping said that the suggestion that in-play betting “would [lead] to fixings and whatever else” is “one of the most uneducated comments that can be made about sport and its integrity”.