The Land Down Under is once more advocating for a prohibition on wagering promotions in athletics.
A group of gaming reform supporters has initiated a movement to eliminate sports betting commercials in Australia, as earnings for overseas wagering firms have escalated during the global health crisis.
Reverend Tim Costello, the leading spokesperson for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, stated that the national government was not taking sufficient measures to safeguard Australians, adding that sports wagering is the nation’s most rapidly expanding type of gaming. The sector reportedly increased fourfold in the half-decade leading up to 2017/18 and now experiences over AU$1 billion (US$765.5 million) in yearly deficits.
International wagering corporations such as Entain and Flutter Entertainment profit from the Northern Territory’s lenient tax regulations, which include a gaming levy capped at AU$575,000 annually.
The Alliance for Gambling Reform is now urging Australia to emulate other nations in outlawing gaming advertisements.
“We must take action immediately, and the most straightforward and expedient course of action is to cease gambling promotions,” remarked Costello. “Other nations, including Italy, have implemented this measure because they acknowledge the detrimental effects of gambling and deem it wholly inappropriate to promote it.
“It is time for Australia to follow suit and take appropriate action.”
However, Costello’s remarks were countered by Brent Jackson, the head of Responsible Wagering Australia, a corporate bookmaker advocacy organization, who asserted that the problem is simply nonexistent.
As the popularity of sports wagering has risen, Jackson emphasizes that concerns about gambling are, in reality, decreasing. He notes that grievances about betting advertisements are at their lowest point ever, representing a minuscule portion of overall advertising objections. Jackson contends that Australian gaming firms are acting responsibly and accuses Costello of inflating the matter and attempting to manufacture an issue where none exists.”