‘Small and weak’: Albanian gambling reform won’t do much to reduce harm

More than 1,000 days after the publication of the Murphy Report, Prime Minister Anthony Albany has finally announced decisive action to combat gambling advertising in Australia.

In mid-2023, the late Peta Murphy of the Labor Party presented a report recommending a ban on gambling advertising because of the harm caused by such advertising on television, sports venues and online.

Despite broad party support for the recommendations, Albanians failed to take any action by the end of this week.

So, what are the changes, do they go far enough and will they work?

What did the Murphy report recommend?

Murphy made 31 recommendations in his 2023 report, You win some, you lose others.

Its terms of reference covered online gambling, with Murphy’s request

A phased, comprehensive ban on all gambling advertising in all media, print and online, leaving no room for avoidance.

The report was widely supported by all sides of politics, but many were left frustrated by the Albanians’ delay in pushing for significant reforms.

What are the new reforms?

After nearly three years, Albany told the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday that he was implementing several restrictions to “reduce children’s exposure to gambling harm”. These are

• Gambling advertising on TV is limited to no more than three ads per hour between 6am and 8.30pm, with a total ban on live sports broadcasts during these hours.

• Ban on radio gambling advertisements during school break and pick-up times (8am to 9am and 3pm to 4pm)

• Prohibition of gambling advertising through online platforms, unless people have a login account, are over 18 and have the option to opt-out of gambling advertising

• Banning the use of celebrities and sports players in gambling ads, with oddball ads targeting sports fans

• Prohibition of gambling advertisements on sports venues and uniforms of players and officials.

Albany said:

We’re striking a balance here, allowing adults if they want, but also making sure Australian kids don’t see betting ads everywhere they look. What we don’t want is for kids to grow up thinking that fitness and gambling are the same.

The government will also look to clamp down on online “pocket pokies”, offshore gambling providers and strengthen BetStop – the national self-exclusion register.

He said his government would implement the changes from January 1, 2027.

So, will they work?

Australians gamble the highest amount per capita in the world: more than $30 billion a year.

But research shows most Australians want action on gambling advertising: around 75% supported a total ban, while around 80% supported a ban on social media, online, in stadiums and on players’ uniforms.

The proposed measures fall well short of the comprehensive reforms proposed by Murphy.

Certainly, this is a step in the right direction. But it’s a very small and weak one – the government is offering a meager package of gambling reforms.

Young people in Australia are growing up in an environment filled with betting promotions, normalized through sports, media and digital platforms. Our research shows that young people see gambling ads “everywhere” and think they can be very effective in shaping behavior and encouraging gambling.

The proposed reforms do little to address this exposure.

Limiting television to three ads per hour during the day does little to reduce children’s exposure to gambling ads. It only adjusts the exposure speed. A child who watches afternoon or evening programs is still exposed to a constant stream of gambling messages.

Similarly, the ban on advertising during live sports appears to be significant but only applies during certain hours, leaving ample opportunity for exposure before and after games, and on other programs and media channels.

Perhaps most notable is what is not included in these reforms.

There is no comprehensive ban on gambling advertising, although this is a central recommendation of the Murphy report. Without such restrictions, the industry retains considerable freedom to promote its products – simply changing strategies across platforms, time slots and formats to maintain access.

And while the reforms focus on banning celebrities and athletes from gambling ads, they miss how marketing is already evolving.

Young people consistently tell us that the influencer content embedded in their social media feeds can be more powerful than traditional celebrity endorsements. They say influencer promotion feels more relevant, more authentic, and is often harder to identify than advertising.

These are exactly the types of strategies that the industry will continue to pursue.

The problem with fractional rules

The most fundamental problem with partial regulation is that industries adapt. Online gambling is a high-tech industry that has shown in many cases that when one channel is limited, marketing costs go to another.

Without a comprehensive approach, including a national regulator to set the rules, these reforms risk creating an illusion of action.

Research is already showing us how quickly these strategies change. As the traditional sports betting audience becomes more regulated, our latest research shows how the industry is increasingly targeting women through lifestyle branding, influencer marketing, and the integration of gambling in social and digital spaces.

The inconsistency in policy also raises an important question: If gambling incentives are harmful enough to be removed from stadiums and player uniforms, why are they still acceptable in other forms of media that children consume every day?

What we are seeing is not a bold public health response but a cautious, politically sensitive compromise. This allows the government to claim that it is acting, while avoiding further reforms that are likely to face resistance from the gambling industry, sports codes, and broadcasters.

Peta Murphy was serious about protecting young Australians from the harms of the gambling industry. The government’s proposed reforms failed the Murphy test.