Aussie gov’t mulls ban on gambling ads during sports broadcasts

Betting ads could soon be banned from live TV sporting events in Australia, if Senator Nick Xenophon has his way.

This week, federal authorities revealed plans to significantly slash gambling ads during sports broadcasts in an attempt to win support from the Senate crossbench. The Turnbull government is seeking to water down media ownership laws in Australia, but to achieve this, they have to strike a deal with senators—including Xenophon.

Votes from the three members of the Nick Xenophon Team (NXT) are reportedly crucial for the media ownership reform to pass the Parliament, but Xenophon, who was built most of his political career on “tough on gambling” posturing, is using the ban on betting ads as a bargaining chip in his negotiations with the government, according to Fairfax Media.

The crackdown on television betting ads is facing resistance from broadcasters, which raked in an estimated AUD120 million (USD92.35 million) from gambling advertising last year. TV broadcasters claimed the only winners from fewer television ads would be Facebook and Google.