Gambling Ads officially banned in Australia
Gambling is the fastest growing category in advertising according to a 2017 report on gambling ads. Since the release of the report, government and advertising watchdogs have taken leaps to manage the impact of gambling ads.
Recently, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced that they had extended the ban on gambling ads to live streaming of sports. The new rule will put live streaming on par with the other advertising platforms, tv and radio. This move marks the first time that online platforms have been brought to line with tv and radio broadcastings agencies.
ACMA Releases New Rules on Gambling Ads
The ACMA released its new rules, which states that streaming platforms will not be able to feature gambling ads on live streamed sports between 5 am and 8.30pm. However, the release noted a few exceptions to the new rules. The exemption was explained by an ACMA spokesperson that said: “online live sport provided by a broadcaster will be exempt from the online rules if the stream of content is identical to the broadcast transmission and is provided simultaneously, or almost simultaneously, with the broadcast transmission.”
The new rules will take effect later this month, and ACMA believes that the ban will create a safer environment for children and families. In fact, Nerida O’Loughlin ACMA’s Chairwoman said: “this is the first time that online services streaming live sport have been required to comply with gambling advertising restrictions.” She added that “this brings online services in line with television and radio broadcasting services and creates a safe zone for children and families to watch live sport across a variety of platforms.”
Italy and Australia seem to be at the forefront of regulating and banning gambling ads on communication platforms; with gambling ads completely banned in Italy. Now that Australia has moved towards a unified approach to the regulation of gambling ads pressure mounts on the UK.
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