Tabcorp CEO slams the proliferation of gambling advertising in Australia
Addressing the Standing Committee on Social and Legal Policy, Adam Rytenskild says proliferation has “gone too far”
Tabcorp CEO Adam Rytenskild has said that there are too many gambling ads in Australia which, he believes, is detrimental for both Australians and the wider gambling industry.
Rytenskild made this statement in his submission to the Standing Committee on Social and Legal Policy, which is currently holding an inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling-related harm.
He also announced that Tabcorp would voluntarily stop advertising on free-to-air television channels between the hours of 6:30am and 8:30pm, adding that Tabcorp would support an outright ban on gambling advertising during these hours unless it’s during a dedicated horseracing programme.
In his address, Rytenskild remarked: “The proliferation of gambling advertising, we believe, has gone too far. This is not good for the broader Australian community and it’s not good for the long-term sustainability of the wagering industry. Regulation of the industry is rightly an increasing focus for the government and for the community.”
Rytenskild also spoke about how he feels foreign operators have damaged the Australian market and that there needs to be stronger regulation on this sooner rather than later.
He said: “Over the last five plus years, the sector has been disrupted by mostly foreign-owned online bookmakers that operate nationally but are only licensed with low tax and light regulation in the Northern Territory.
“Our regulators do a fantastic job, but state regulations are 25 years’ old and are no longer fit for purpose. The regulatory and legislative frame framework has not kept pace with the disruption within the market. We believe that a nationally consistent regulatory framework, which all wagering operators must abide by, is urgently needed and essential,” the CEO added.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan likewise shares Rytenskild’s opinion, stating last month that there are too many ads associated with sport betting and that restrictions need to be tightened.
McLachlan said to Melbourne radio station 3AW that the volume of the ads was too much “in your face”.
He remarked: “We have a set of restrictions and they are being reviewed at the moment. Probably, they will be wound tighter, but we don’t believe in prohibition because all it does is drive it [gambling] underground or offshore and that has its own set of problems.”
These viewpoints come a week after the Australian Institute of Family Studies found that three-quarters of Australians have gambled at least once over the last year, with 38% wagering weekly, with half of latter cohort considered to be at risk of gambling-related harm.
The study also revealed that over half of the relative Australian population would support a blanket ban on gambling advertising across all platforms before 10:30pm.