Sportsbet calls for big cuts in Australian betting ad blitz

Online sports betting operator Sportsbet is seeking an end to the barrage of gambling advertisement in Australia.

A Nielsen AdEx report showed that Australian gambling companies spent $147 million on advertising in 2015, becoming the country’s fourth biggest industry in terms of advertising spending. The figure represents a 326 percent spike since 2012, when Aussie betting and gambling operators spent a mere $45 million to pimp their wares.

Sportsbet CEO Cormac Barry, however, believes it’s time for the government to curb gambling advertising.

In an interview with The Australian, the executive said Sportsbet wants to work with the government “to strike an appropriate balance between legitimate community concerns about advertising, such as whether wagering advertising is appropriate in certain public areas or on sporting team merchandise, while enabling wagering companies to advertise their service.”