Victoria moves to ban betting advertising

The new laws, announced by Minister for Gaming and Liquor Regulation Marlene Kairouz, will prohibit betting advertising near schools, on roads and on public transport to protect children from gambling promotion.

The Gambling Regulation Amendment Bill 2017 will apply to all static betting advertising, including outdoor billboards, on public transport, roads and associated infrastructure like stations, bridges, noise walls and embankments.

According to the minister, the legislation is being introduced to prevent gambling from becoming a normalized part of sports for children.

“Kids should be able to go to school and get home without being bombarded by betting advertising – that’s what these changes are all about,” said the Minister.

“This Bill will restrict gambling advertising in public spaces, protecting problem gamblers and other vulnerable groups in our community.”

It was also revealed that an amendment would be made to the Gambling Regulation Act 2003 to ban or impose conditions on less traditional forms of wagering like betting on lotteries, which allows people to bet on the outcome of Australian or overseas-based lotteries.

The State Government also urged the Federal Government to broaden restrictions on live broadcast betting advertising to the entire duration of a match.

“Victoria is leading the way on this issue, and it’s time for the Turnbull Government to act further on broadcast ads – to reduce the impact of betting advertising on sports fans,” commented Minister Kairouz.