Australian betting ad ban to be enforced

Gambling adverts will be banned from sports broadcasts in Australia from this Friday.

Legislation was cleared by federal parliament in time to be implemented before this weekend.

The ban will be in force between 5am and 8.30pm each day. Gambling promotions are not allowed from five minutes before the start of a sporting event until five minutes after.

Assistant Minister Michael Sukkar said the ban was in response to community concern about the growing link between sports and betting, and to reduce the risk of minors gambling.

The reforms also give media watchdog the Australian Communications and Media Authority powers to determine programme standards for gambling advertisements.

However, some feel the ban does not go far enough. Labor MP Brian Mitchell suggested the 8.30pm cut-off time for the bans would only see people through the first quarter of a night sports match.

The time difference means many European football matches will not be affected.

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