A recent report from the Australian Nielsen Institute shows that there has been a 253% increase in gambling ads on Victorian TV since 2016.
The Victoria Responsible Gambling Foundation commissioned the report to examine the rate of gambling ads that are broadcast on free-to-air TV in the state in the past five years.
An average of close to 1,000 ads were broadcast on Victorian TV last year alone.
In 2021, the gambling industry spent $287 million on advertising their products and brands – $15.9 million more than the year before.
Responsible gambling proponents say that they would prefer to see sports betting ads “get further away from kids”.
“We’d also like to see more of a discussion about the risks associated with gambling and not just the recreational aspects,” said Shan Lucas, the chief executive officer of the Responsible Gambling Foundation.
The foundation would like to see no ads at all during sports games that are screened on TV, despite the fact that they are banned during live sports until 8.30 pm as per a federal government directive.
“I think we all know that when you’re watching sport on a Friday night or Saturday night, it goes until 10:30 at night, and the kids are still watching to the end of the game,” said Lucas.