Online betting advertisements and inducements such as free bets should be banned if Labor wants its gambling bill passed into law, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says, but she is prepared to negotiate on advertising in streaming services.
Hanson-Young spelt out the terms the Greens want the government to meet to get their gambling bill passed in the Senate in an interview on ABC’s Insiders.
“If you are not prepared to do what’s needed here, well, we’ll take this out of your hands and we’ll do it in the Senate ourselves”, Hanson-Young said in the wake of a parliamentary inquiry where sports betting companies were grilled about claims they had offered lavish free bets, sex workers and drugs to VIP clients.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said last week she was in talks with both the Coalition and the Greens about finding a deal. Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson said on Wednesday the bill was “riddled with deficiencies and must be significantly amended”.
“Unless there is real move online, this whole thing is set up to fail. We need proper bans on online advertising,” Hanson-Young told the ABC.
Opposition, cross-bench and Greens MPs joined campaigners in condemning a carve-out for streaming services in Labor’s gambling laws that allows online services to show unlimited gambling ads in breaks during matches unless subscribers explicitly opt out.
Hanson-Young said she could consider a switch to a model where adults could register to get the ads during sports on streaming services.
“You know, some people are suggesting an opt-in rather than an opt-out,” Hanson-Young said. “Well, I want to hear what the government has to say about that. Well, I’m prepared to entertain that.”
Resolving the stalemate over this bill is a top priority when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese returns on Monday from a week’s leave.
The Albanese government took more than 1000 days to respond to the bipartisan 2023 report led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, which recommended a national regulator, banning inducements, and a total advertising blackout.
None of these recommendations were in the government’s response, which was tabled on Budget Day, Tuesday 12 May.
Labor’s scaled-back proposal restricts television ads to three an hour between 6am and 8.30pm, with no cap overnight, bans the use of sports stars and other celebrities to promote gambling, bans ads on sports jerseys and limits commercials on radio during school pick-up times.
Both the Greens and the Coalition have raised concerns about inducements offered by sports betting companies, such as free bets, bonus bets and other direct incentives to clients.
Gambling companies last week denied the evidence tendered by anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello and reformed addict and ex-NRL player Luke Bateman that they lured serious addicts to VIP events with drugs, escorts and five-figure bonus bets.
Kai Cantwell, the chief executive of industry peak body Responsible Wagering Australia, said some “pretty egregious claims have been levelled against some of my members and non-members”.
Hanson-Young dismissed the argument of the corporations that special offers were not inducements but legitimate products better described as “generosities”.
“Give me a freaking break,” she said. “I think they use every trick in the book to promote and it’s a real predatory nature, whether it’s special deals, whether it’s extra credits, whether it’s favours to events. Inducements need to be off the table.”
While Henderson last Monday told the inquiry she thought further action was required to regulate inducements, opposition shadow treasurer Tim Wilson told News24 (formerly Sky News) there was a diversity of views within the Coalition on the bill. He said he was chiefly concerned with protecting children from too much exposure to gambling ads, and that online ads were examined.
“There are a lot of other platforms people watch sports these days and receive gambling advertising as well,” he said.
Labor frontbencher Jenny McAllister refused to say on News24 if the government was looking to change inducements, but noted: “We think we’ve broadly got the legislation right, but if there are sensible amendments that could improve the bill, of course we’re open to discussion across the parliament.”
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