‘Small and overwhelming’: Albanon’s gambling reform won’t do much to reduce harm

More than 1,000 days after the release of the Murphy Report, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has finally announced decisive action to tackle gambling advertising in Australia.

In mid-2023, the late Labor MP Peta Murphy submitted a report recommending a ban on gambling advertising, citing the harm it caused on television, sports venues and online.

Despite widespread bipartisan support for the recommendation, Albanese took no action until this week.

So, what kind of changes are there, and are they sufficiently effective?

What did the Murphy Report recommend?

Murphy made 31 recommendations in his 2023 report. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”

Its terms of reference include online gambling, and Mr Murphy

A gradual and comprehensive ban on all gambling advertising in all media, broadcast and online. There is no way around this.

Although the report received wide support from all sides of the political spectrum, many remained dissatisfied with Albanese’s delay in pushing for concrete reforms.

What are the new reforms?

Almost three years later, Ms Albanese told the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday that she was introducing some restrictions to “minimize the exposure of children to gambling harm”. these are

• Gambling advertisements on television broadcasts will be limited to three per hour from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and live sports broadcasts during those hours will be completely prohibited.

• Prohibition of gambling advertising on radio during school pick-up and drop-off hours (8am to 9am and 3pm to 4pm)

• Prohibition of gambling advertising through online platforms unless you have a logged-in account, are over 18 years old, and can opt out of gambling advertising

• Banning the use of celebrities and athletes in gambling ads, along with odds-style ads targeting sports fans

• Prohibit gambling advertisements at sports venues and on the uniforms of players and officials.

Albanese said:

We’ve struck the right balance by ensuring that Australian children everywhere don’t see betting ads, while still allowing adults to enjoy panto if they wish. What we don’t want is kids growing up thinking soccer and gambling are the same thing.

The government will also crack down on online “pocket pokies” and overseas betting operators, and consider strengthening Betstop, the national self-regulatory register.

He said the government aims to implement these changes from January 1, 2027.

So will they work?

Australians gamble more than any other person in the world, at more than $30 billion a year.

However, the survey found that the majority of Australians want action against gambling advertising, with around 75% supporting a total ban and around 80% supporting a ban on social media, online, in stadiums and on players’ uniforms.

The proposed measures fall far short of the comprehensive reforms recommended by Murphy.

Certainly, this is a step in the right direction. However, it is quite small and underwhelming, with the government offering a watered-down package of gambling reforms.

Young Australians are growing up in an environment saturated with gambling promotions, normalized through sport, media and digital platforms. Our research shows that young people see gambling advertising ‘everywhere’, which we believe can have a significant impact on shaping attitudes and encouraging gambling.

The proposed reforms do little to address this risk in any meaningful way.

Limiting ads on daytime television to three per hour does little to reduce children’s exposure to gambling ads. Just adjust the pace of exposure. Children who watch afternoon or evening programming are still exposed to a constant stream of messages about gambling.

Similarly, banning advertising during live sports seems important, but it only applies during certain times, leaving ample opportunity for exposure before and after games and on other programs and media channels.

Perhaps most concerning is what these reforms do not include.

Despite this being a central recommendation of the Murphy Report, there is no blanket ban on gambling advertising. Without such a ban, the industry retains great freedom to continue promoting its products, simply changing strategies across platforms, time zones, and formats to maintain reach.

The reforms also focus on banning gambling advertisements for celebrities and athletes, but they overlook how marketing is already evolving.

Young people are constantly telling us that influencer content embedded in their social media feeds can be even more powerful than traditional celebrity endorsements. They say that influencer promotions feel more relatable and authentic than advertising, and are often less recognizable than advertising.

These are exactly the kinds of strategies the industry will continue to lean toward.

Problems with partial regulation

The most fundamental problem with partial regulation is that the industry adapts. Online gambling is a high-tech industry, and it has been proven time and time again that when one channel is restricted, marketing spend flows into another channel.

Without a comprehensive approach that includes national regulators setting the rules, these reforms risk creating the illusion of action.

Research already shows how quickly these strategies can change. As regulations tighten for traditional sports betting audiences, our recent research reveals how the industry is targeting women through lifestyle branding, influencer marketing, and the integration of gambling into social and digital spaces.

This policy contradiction also raises important questions. If gambling advertising is considered harmful enough to be removed from stadiums and players’ uniforms, why is it still tolerated in other forms of media that children consume every day?

What we are seeing is a cautious and politically palatable compromise rather than a bold public health response. This would allow the government to claim it is acting while avoiding more substantive reforms, which are likely to face resistance from the gambling industry, sports regulations and broadcasters.

Peta Murphy was deeply committed to protecting young Australians from the harms of the gambling industry. The government’s proposed reforms fail the Murphy test.