Sports betting is particularly popular in the country. The government wants to protect children in particular.
The Australian government will propose restricting gambling advertisements for public health reasons, especially concerning children, announced Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday. From surfing competitions to horse racing, sports betting is especially popular in Australia. So much so that the country of 27 million people records gambling losses of around $17 billion US dollars each year, among the highest in the world per capita, according to public data.
The Labor government will propose to Parliament that between 6 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., gambling ads be limited to a maximum of three per hour on television and completely banned during sports event broadcasts. Gambling organizations will be prohibited from advertising on professional athletes’ jerseys, and their ads will be banned on the radio during the times when children are going to or from school.
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“We are striking the right balance,” that is, “allowing adults to bet if they wish, but ensuring that our children are not exposed to gambling everywhere they look,” assured Anthony Albanese in a speech in Canberra. “We do not want our children to grow up thinking that football and gambling are inexorably linked.” In 2024, dozens of Australian figures went even further, calling for a total ban on gambling advertisements within three years, in a letter to the Prime Minister.
