Australian bookmakers’ spending on ads during televised sporting broadcasts rose nearly one-quarter in the first half of 2016.

On Wednesday, The Australian quoted Nielsen data showing bookies spending AUD 125m (US $95.8m) on adverts shown during sporting telecasts in H1. The figure, which doesn’t include pay-TV channels, is nearly 25% higher than the same point last year.

Paddy Power Betfair subsidiary Sportsbet led all spenders with over $38m, up nearly one-fifth year-on-year. The next closest competitors, Ladbrokes and CrownBet, spent about $20m apiece, while domestic mainstays Tabcorp and Tatts were well back of the pack at $18m and $8m, respectively.

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon is attempting to wean networks off their gambling ad dependency by pushing a scheme that would reduce broadcasters’ license fees to make up the shortfall caused by a ban on gambling adverts. However, terrestrial TV industry bodies have argued that the fee reductions would be insufficient to get the networks on board with Xenophon’s plan.