Push to extend gambling advertising ban to children's TV hours

Updated

The Labor backbencher who has been leading a Caucus push for a crackdown on live odds broadcasting says he still has concerns about gambling advertising and will be taking them to the Prime Minister.

Over the weekend the TV industry and betting agencies agreed to new rules banning the promotion of betting odds during sports broadcasts, after Julia Gillard threatened to legislate for tougher restrictions.

The Government will still allow generic gambling ads to be aired during quarter-time and half-time breaks, because Ms Gillard says broadcasters still need a viable business model, including revenue stemming from broadcast rights.

Even so the Australian Wagering Council has warned that the changes could drive more punters to unregulated offshore bookies.

Key points New code of practice will ban live odds during games

But generic ads for bookies will still be allowed

Some Labor MPs want full ban during children's TV hours

Free-to-air channels to reluctantly comply with new rules



Stephen Jones, the ALP member for the New South Wales seat of Throsby, has welcomed the changes but wants more to be done.

"It is well known that I've been working on some propositions which would ban gambling advertising during children's viewing hours," he said.

"I still retain my concerns about this, I'll be discussing those issues with the Prime Minister and my Caucus colleagues over the coming few days."

Mr Jones says he has not yet decided whether he will push on with his legislation to ban all gambling advertising during children's hours - defined as 7:00am to 8:30pm on weekends.

"In many respects the Prime Minister's announcements over the weekend go further than what I was pushing for, because they are not restricted to children's viewing times, so to that extent I very much welcome those changes as a significant move forward," he said.

Issue to be debated in Caucus tomorrow

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy says he "understands" that Mr Jones has decided to back off.

"My understanding is that Stephen is no longer proceeding with that bill - from my understanding - and he is very happy and supportive of the steps taken by the Prime Minister," he told AM.

Current children's TV hours 7:00am-8:30am, Monday to Friday

4:00pm-8:30pm, Monday to Friday

7:00am-8:30pm, Saturday, Sunday and school holidays

"He has been an advocate of change and we have got significant change."

Labor MPs will debate the issue during tomorrow's Caucus meeting.

"I guarantee you there will be a good debate around the gambling advertising issues in our federal parliamentary Caucus tomorrow," Mr Jones said.

"Gambling can co-exist with sports in this country but we cannot have a model where [the viability of] professional sports and sports broadcasting is completely dependent on gambling advertising.

"Australians won't cop it."

Stephen Conroy says new rules in place 'in next couple of weeks'

Mr Jones also wants the new code of conduct for broadcasters to be in place by this weekend, but the Communications Minister says that is unlikely.

"To demand that they be done this Friday night is probably just a little bit fast, given we haven't written to [broadcasters] - they've seen the press conference, I'm sure they've seen the press release - but we should formally write to them, advise them," he said.

"We should get it drafted, we should make sure the draft is right, and then it should be registered and it should be enforced.

"But it should be enforced in the next couple of weeks."

Mr Jones's push for tougher restrictions has been supported by a string of Caucus members, including the Labor member for Hindmarsh, Steve Georganas.

"I think it's a start," he said.

"Of course, as I've said previously and publicly before many times, I'd like to see betting advertising or gambling advertising banned from children's hours.

"I think that's another important step and certainly we will be having discussions in Caucus on Tuesday and until we see the Prime Minister's proposals. But, from what we've heard thus far, it's good news."

NSW accused of hypocrisy after criticising changes

However, the New South Wales Government has criticised the federal changes as not going far enough.

"The bans should commence from the beginning of the program, not necessarily the beginning of the match and of course must apply during the half-time and quarter-time intervals, otherwise these bans by the Commonwealth will end up being a farce," New South Wales Gaming Minister George Souris said.

But Stephen Conroy says the O'Farrell Government has failed to take any steps to address the problem.

"What a hypocrite. [Premier] Barry O'Farrell is just a naked hypocrite on this," he said.

"Barry O'Farrell could do something about advertising in grounds, in and around grounds, he could do something about jumpers, Barry O'Farrell should have a look in the mirror."

Academic, churches call for wider ban

The Government's reluctance to institute a full ban on gambling ads is not enough to satisfy the likes of associate professor Samantha Thomas, a public health expert with the University of Wollongong.

"That argument that's being made was also made for tobacco," she said.

"What we saw was the removal of the sponsorship for those types of products, and the sports survived and broadcasters were still able to play the matches.

"What we do need to do is perhaps support different types of revenue streams."

Professor Thomas said she would like to see all gambling advertising banned, including during the children's television hours which are currently exempt.

"One of the things that we would probably say, and we've learned from experience with things like tobacco, is that if industry are agreeing to sign up to something, it generally means that there's a lot of room for them to manoeuvre around what's being proposed," she said.

Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce chairman Tim Costello says the Government has taken a brave step in the face of the power of the gambling lobby.

But he is also calling for a ban all gambling advertising on TV.

"We don't need children seeing this, and that's really the revolt of parents, who literally are saying we've had AFL and league and rugby, cricket, for more than a century, without needing gambling to push it and drive it," he said.

Commercial TV unhappy but will agree to restrictions

Free-to-air channels will put the new restrictions in place, although they describe them as unprecedented.

Sorry, this video has expired Video: Sportingbet CEO backs live odds ban (ABC News)

The Australian Wagering Council agrees, but will also fall into line.

No one was available to be interviewed by AM, but in a statement the council noted that Australian betting agencies have to be able to advertise their products if they want to compete against unlicensed and unregulated agencies offshore.

"It is important for the integrity of sport that Australian regulated and licensed online wagering and sports betting operators remain competitive against overseas operators," the statement reads.

The Federal Opposition has accused the Government of playing catch up-politics, pointing to the fact that it endorsed the industry's plan to restrict live odds to scheduled breaks in play in April.

The Government says it is going further than that proposal to properly address community concerns.

Topics: gambling, federal-government, sport, australia

First posted