Across Australia, there is a major concern about the prevalence of gambling ads on television. Many responsible advocates have voiced their apprehensions, and now the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) is now stepping up to present a solution. This week, ACMA has registered a new Industry Code of Practice, which will change the times during which gambling ads can air.
Any advertisements for gambling operators will be banned between the hours of 6am and 8:30pm, and 4pm and 7pm during G-rated programs. Previously, these rules only applied to primary channels, and they will now cover multichannels. “There have been tremendous shifts in the media landscape,” says Chris Chapman, Chairman of the ACMA.
“Many of the provisions in the earlier code had been around for twenty years or so—from an analogue era where viewers could only source content from three commercial free-to-air channels and two national broadcasting channels”. While this is a positive step forward in helping to stop young people from being exposed to gambling, there are still some concerns.
Some gambling and marketing experts are worried that a new code is unlikely to prevent gambling harm. They state that the government needs to intervene by introducing mandatory laws that dictate the type of products that operators can promote in television ads. Self-regulatory codes were introduced for alcohol, cigarettes and junk food advertising.
This form of regulation was proven to be ineffective and difficult to enforce, so it may be time for the government to step in. “At some point government regulations for traditional and online media need to be brought into line,” says Samantha Thomas, Researcher at Deakin University.
“History tells us that we need governments to step in and develop comprehensive regulatory responses for marketing promotions and there’s no reason that shouldn't occur now”.
About the Author
