Gambling Ad Spending in Australia Grows Nearly 26%

Casino News Daily

Television advertising spending records growth despite recently introduced restrictions; all advertising channels grow in the year to July, figures show

Gambling ad spending in Australia has jumped nearly 26% to A$140 million in the year to July, local news outlet AdNews reported earlier today citing figures it has been exclusively presented with by Standard Media Index.

The massive increase was recorded despite the recently implemented restrictions regarding when and how sports betting operators are allowed to run television and Internet ads of their products and services.

All major advertising channels have recorded a growth in gambling ad spending in the year to July, AdNews reports. Overall spending on gambling adverts has increased 25.7% over the reported period.

Newspapers as an advertising channel have seen the largest increase in ad spending, it has been found out. Spending on newspaper gambling ads has jumped 121% year-on-year. Other, unspecified, ad channels have grown 91.3% during the reviewed year. Cinema has increased 83.7%, outdoor ad spending has been up 60.3%, radio has seen a 43.2% growth in ad spending throughout the reported year.

Television ad spending has grown relatively modestly in the year to July, up 14.7%. The slower growth, compared to other advertising channels and to previous years, was due to the tougher advertising restrictions during live sports broadcasts rolled out by the Australian government and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) this past year.

Digital ad spending has grown 23.6% year-on-year and magazines have recorded a 5.7% increase during the period in review.

New Advertising Restrictions

As mentioned above, ACMA introduced in March stricter rules on how gambling services should be advertised during live sports broadcasts. Under the new rules, sports betting operators were prohibited from advertising their products during live sports broadcasts between 5 am and 8:30 pm every day.

The restrictions applied to free-to-air television, pay-TV, and radio. It was further clarified that the rules would apply five minutes before the start of a sporting event and extend to five minute after its end. The Australian government and the advertising watchdog have explained that the toughened restrictions were a necessary step and were prompted by growing concerns about children and young people being overexposed to gambling via ads.

The new rules took effect on March 30. The government then extended them to Internet broadcasts of sports events aired between 5 am and 8:30 pm. The extended rules took effect on September 28 and applied to eSports in addition to sports events. Simulcasts were excluded from the extended rules as they were labeled as ones the responsibility for which rested with the original broadcaster.

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