Australians are the world’s biggest gamblers – could banning ads help?
Like so many in Australia, Sam grew up in a community where having a punt was synonymous with sport.
“Our friends, our family would ask ‘Oh who are you betting on this week?’ That was the normal conversation that occurred,” his sister Amy – who is not using her real name – says.
Looking back, she blames that normalisation of gambling – the way it crept into their home and baked itself into social interactions – for her brother’s addiction, and for the suffering he endured before taking his life.
“It just destroyed him physically and emotionally,” she explains. “We tried everything. We were a close family, but we obviously didn’t know how bad it was – it crushed him.”
government has signalled it may instead opt for a cap to limit advertising. It has cited the role gambling ad revenue plays in propping up the nation’s ailing free-to-air broadcasters, as well as warnings from wagering companies that a ban could drive consumers offshore.
Doing so would result in huge tax losses on Australian betting platforms which currently fund “vital services”, the peak body representing the industry says.
The debate has spurred accusations that corporate interests are standing in the way of common-sense reform.
It has also spotlighted the deep-rooted links between sport, gambling, and entertainment in Australia
Sources – BBC
