Adam Roarty is a journalist covering sports betting, regulation, and industry innovation for CasinoBeats. His coverage includes tax increases in the UK, covering breaking stories in the ever-evolving landscape of US betting such as the...
Read Full BioAustralian cricketer Usman Khawaja has called for the Australian government to implement a ban on gambling advertising due to the rise in underage betting.
Australia’s parliament held a roundtable on gambling advertising on Thursday, and Khawaja was one of many voices advocating for a ban.
In comments reported by The Guardian, Khawaja said: “The relationship that young kids are having with gambling is scary and it’s dangerous. We are normalising gambling for the younger generation.
“I can’t watch an NRL game without getting odds right before a game. I play grade cricket with young cricketers who are coming through. There are 16-year-olds with gambling accounts and they cannot watch the game without putting a bet on.”
Roundtable Dominated by Public Health Voices
In addition to Khawaja, the roundtable featured several public health voices advocating for greater restrictions on gambling advertising.
Senator David Pocock led the meeting, which also included Dr. Kerrie Aust of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Samantha Thomas, a public health expert from Deakin University, and MP Kate Chaney.
Dr. Aust stated: “We want kids and young people playing sport and having their heroes without a constant stream of gambling advertising.”
A new study published this week revealed that the NHL Finals featured, on average, 3.5 gambling messages per minute, while the NBA Finals had only 0.26 per minute.
PM Albanese Worries Ban Will Increase Offshore Bettors
There were no representatives from the gambling industry or those who opposed a ban at the roundtable. However, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remains unconvinced that a complete ban is the best solution.
In a conversation with ABC News, Albanese said: “What’s in our mind is the practicalities of whether people just go offshore, then there’s no revenue at all.
“They engage in gambling with no revenue coming back at all. And it doesn’t solve the problem.”
The government has been criticized for delaying action on the Murphy Report in 2023, which recommended a ban on gambling ads in sports, among other reforms.
Khawaja added that the government has been “100% too slow” in implementing the report’s recommendations.
Australia Leads World in Annual Gambling Losses
The report came on the back of Australia leading the way in terms of gambling losses, at around AU$1,200 ($780) per year. In the U.S., it is estimated that gamblers lose around $500 per year.
The figure is increasing in states with legal online casinos. New Jersey reported record revenue in July, with players losing $247.3 million, a 26.6% increase year-on-year.
Australia has no legal online casinos, leading to even more money being gambled on unregulated sites. According to a report by Regulus Partners, the unregulated online gambling market is estimated to be over $1 billion. This represents around 29% of the total online gambling market.
Albanese fears that further restrictions on regulated gambling will only increase that figure. A full response from the government on gambling advertising is expected by the end of the year. However, it is unlikely that an outright ban will be enforced just yet.
