Live odds ban: a step in the right direction

The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation welcomes the Federal Government's move to ban live betting odds during television sports broadcasts.

Community concern over the proliferation and content of gambling advertising continues to grow, and with spending on sports betting advertising tripling between 2010 and 2012, it's easy to understand why.

As the organisation responsible for providing services to Victorians affected by gambling, we support legislation that aims to minimise gambling-related harm.

While this ban is a step in the right direction toward addressing community concern, it does not take into consideration the full impact of gambling advertising, including marketing at sporting grounds and sports team sponsorships.

As a community, we should be concerned, particularly about the effects gambling advertising has on children.

The experts say children are more vulnerable to advertising, and children under 11 struggle to distinguish between advertising and program content.

Research shows the use of sports stars or media celebrities to promote gambling has more impact on children than on the male sports viewer who the betting companies say is their target market.

The underlying concern is the effects of underage gambling. Studies show teenagers who gamble are up to four times more likely to develop a problem with gambling than adults, and a quarter of adults receiving treatment for their gambling issues say they started before they were 18.