The Australian Communications and Media Authority has issued a penalty of $13,320 to The Seven Network Operations Ltd for breaching online content rules regarding gambling advertising.
Following an investigation by the ACMA, Seven was found to have broadcasted a gambling advert outside the specified times during a live sports coverage on its streaming service.
The authority has stated that gambling promotions cannot be shown during live streams of sporting events between 5am and 8:30pm, including the five minutes before and after a game.
According to the ACMA report, ‘a gambling advertisement was shown at 10:38am on 7plus during a live stream of an NFL American Football game on 12 December 2022’, and this breach follows the ACMA ‘publishing a formal warning to Seven in October 2022 for a similar incident’.
In response to the investigation, Seven noted that the streaming of the ad was ‘an isolated event’ and that additional mitigation measures have been implemented to stop it from happening in the future, including additional oversight and training.
Seven has paid the $13,320 penalty for the breach, the maximum amount the ACMA can apply in these circumstances.
Commenting on the case, ACMA Chair, Nerida O’Loughlin, said: “The ACMA expects broadcasters to have robust systems and processes and associated assurance mechanisms in place to support compliance with these laws.
“Seven has told us that the measures it has in place are adequate to ensure future compliance and it does not need to do more. Following repeated breaches by Seven, we will continue to closely monitor their compliance with the rules to make sure that is the case.”
