Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

One of my constituents, Ian Ross, contacts me almost weekly about the ads for online gambling he gets on the AFL app despite having ticked the 'under 18' box. We've notified the AFL, and they say it's been fixed, but he still gets them. This is a weekly reminder that we need to break the deep connection between online gambling and our sporting codes, media and politicians. Almost a year ago, a parliamentary committee unanimously recommended a ban on all ads for online gambling, as we did with tobacco decades ago. But gambling can be a hard habit to kick, whether you're a punter with an addiction who sees ads everywhere you look or a major sporting code that sees gambling revenue everywhere you look.'

Problem gambling can lead to mental health issues, family breakdown and domestic violence. The AFL makes a lot of money from online gambling—a cut every time someone bets on a game, direct sponsorship, and an inflated broadcast deal because of the potential gambling ad revenue. The media companies don't want to kick the habit either. Gambling ad spend has tripled in the last decade because it works. Young people now see gambling as an integral part of watching sport, but it's not. Politicians are scared to upset the media companies and sporting codes, even though Australians are sick of gambling ads polluting every sporting experience. We have had enough. This government must ban online gambling ads now.

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