Australia’s gambling ad ban not tough enough for UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged the Australian government to stand firm against proposals to ease the current siren-to-siren betting ad ban.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the UNICEF has appealed to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to implement more reforms that will help reduce the children’s exposure to betting ads.

According to the report, UNICEF praised the Turnbull administration for introducing a ban on gambling promotions during live sports events. The group, however, believed that the ad ban wasn’t enough to bring the numbers of teenage gamblers down.

Citing a research findings from Australia, UNICEF pointed out that 63 to 82 percent of teenagers gambled each year while 15 percent of those in the 12 to 17 age bracket were at risk of developing a serious gambling problem.