In short:
Bill Shorten all but confirms to Q+A the federal government will reject calls from some in his party for a total ban on gambling advertising.
Ads during kids’ TV will be targeted but Mr Shorten says media companies need gambling [ad] revenue in a battle with social media giants.
What’s next?
- Cabinet is expected to sign off on legislation regulating gambling advertising on traditional and social media this week.
Related coverage:
- SBS: Former PMs, premiers and sportspeople demand Labor go all-in on gambling reform
- The Conversation: The gambling industry is pulling out all the stops to prevent an ad ban, but the evidence is against it
- The Conversation: Does free-to-air TV really need gambling ads to survive?
- [Satire] The Shovel: New hotline to help television networks addicted to gambling revenue
Maybe I’m dumb but couldn’t other advertisers buy up those same slots instead? Gambling accounts may be big for the media companies but they’re not the only ones out there