Report: Australian Capital Territory government to clamp down on “insidous” sports betting ads

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government has outlined plans which would bring in draconian restrictions, or even an outright ban, on sports betting advertising.

The move comes as several senior ministers have warned about the harm “pernicious” promotions are having on the community.

As reported by The Guardian, the ACT attorney general, Shane Rattenbury, said the territory might take action if the federal government does not tighten advertising restrictions after the ongoing parliamentary inquiry.

Rattenbury said: “Ideally, the federal government will act on gaming advertising, as they hold most of the legal levers. However, the ACT is also exploring options that it can take unilaterally – if it needs to – to restrict gambling advertising.

“Primarily we are exploring implementing a regime similar to South Australia’s restrictions on gambling advertising on TV, to see if we can replicate it, or go further,” Rattenbury added.

The restrictions Rattenbury refers to are ones brought in South Australia in 2013, which saw the introduction of a total ban on all advertising between 4pm and 7.30pm.

Earlier this month, Rattenbury said that any clampdown would need to involve TV and radio to ensure that ad spend doesn’t shift around between the mediums.

Rattenbury commented: “We would like to see far greater restriction, if not an outright ban, on a range of gambling advertising, particularly at times when younger people are watching, but across the board.”