{"id":161354,"date":"2025-09-22T12:05:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T12:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/161354\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T12:05:06","slug":"online-tv-viewers-should-have-power-to-block-gambling-ads-former-sbs-chair-says-gambling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/161354\/","title":{"rendered":"Online TV viewers should have power to block gambling ads, former SBS chair says | Gambling"},"content":{"rendered":"

The former SBS<\/a> chair George Savvides has challenged commercial broadcasters to let viewers block gambling ads in the absence of tougher regulation, citing a need to protect people from \u201can addictive and destructive product\u201d.<\/p>\n

Savvides, who retired from SBS in July, has also called on the Albanese government to adopt the wide-ranging recommendations of a parliamentary inquiry into online wagering<\/a>, including a total ban on gambling ads after a transition period.<\/p>\n

SBS became the first television broadcaster in the world to trial an opt-out of gambling feature on its digital streaming service in 2024. Earlier this month, the broadcaster announced the change would be made permanent from 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my mind, there is absolutely no reason commercial broadcasters should not follow suit,\u201d Savvides said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot imagine the level of dissatisfaction that viewers of other Australian TV networks endure as they have to sit through a significantly larger TV advertising load per hour filled with gambling ads surrounding live sport coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Savvides said the trial, which allowed On Demand account holders to submit an online form to opt-out of gambling, alcohol or fast food ads, led to a 45% reduction in complaints. He argued advertisers supported the change, as they did not want to annoy people unwilling to hear their message.<\/p>\n

Sign up: AU Breaking News email<\/a><\/p>\n

The Albanese government has taken more than two years to formally respond to the inquiry\u2019s recommendations and has faced sustained lobbying from sporting codes and commercial broadcasters opposed to the proposed ban.<\/p>\n

The peak body for Australia\u2019s free-to-air commercial broadcasters told the inquiry the extent of gambling ads on television had been grossly exaggerated by some critics and that further restrictions would make \u201cthe provisions of sports for free\u201d increasingly difficult.<\/p>\n

But Savvides, along with public health experts, believes the prevalence of gambling ads has caused community harm. A March report by Equity Economics found Australians now lose more to gambling each year than the $28.3bn the government spends on aged care.<\/p>\n

The Alliance for Gambling<\/a> Reform has also called on other broadcasters to copy SBS\u2019s opt-out model of advertising on streaming services.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one is seeking to ban gambling but there is too much gambling advertising \u2013 too much of it is reaching our kids \u2013 and we can act to protect people,\u201d said the alliance\u2019s chief advocate, Tim Costello.<\/p>\n

SBS has previously attracted criticism for broadcasting gambling ads in close proximity to sporting coverage.<\/p>\n

In early 2023, the broadcaster\u2019s director of corporate affairs, Clare O\u2019Neil, apologised for airing gambling advertisements<\/a> during Fifa World Cup coverage in breach of advertising rules, blaming human error.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe proactively went back and investigated games that we thought may been subject to the same error and found a couple of other ones that had occurred, which obviously we reported to the regulator,\u201d O\u2019Neil told the inquiry.<\/p>\n

Last month, the Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja said the Albanese government had been \u201c100% too slow\u201d to ban gambling ads<\/a> and must sever the link between the wagering and sport to protect children.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t watch an NRL game without getting odds right before a game,\u201d Khawaja said shortly before a meeting with the prime minister in Canberra.<\/p>\n

The government had planned to introduce legislation before the federal election in May but reforms were shelved amid fierce opposition from broadcasters, sporting codes and some bookmakers.<\/p>\n

The communications minister, Anika Wells, has restarted negotiations with industry and several gambling sources<\/a> have told Guardian Australia they expect to see legislation by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

In Australia, Gambling Help Online<\/a> is available on 1800 858 858. The National Debt Helpline<\/a> is at 1800 007 007. In the UK, support for problem gambling can be found via the NHS National Problem Gambling Clinic<\/a> on 020 7381 7722, or GamCare<\/a> on 0808 8020 133. In the US, call the National Council on Problem Gambling<\/a> at 800-GAMBLER or text 800GAM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The former SBS chair George Savvides has challenged commercial broadcasters to let viewers block gambling ads in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":161355,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[49,48,84,393,394],"class_list":{"0":"post-161354","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-mental-health","12":"tag-mentalhealth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161354\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}