Advertising live odds during sporting broadcasts has been banned in New South Wales as regulators begin to examine ways to rein in the proliferation of online sports betting.
In-play odds, such as those that shift according to the scoreboard or offer the chance to guess the next goal scorer, can no longer be broadcast in NSW from March next year, the state’s deputy premier, Troy Grant, announced on Saturday.
Grant, who is also the NSW minister for gaming and racing, said live odds increased the risk of dangerous gambling by encouraging punters to chase losses or bet on impulse.
“There is no doubt the sports betting market is becoming increasingly competitive as operators aggressively chase market share through promotions, so it’s important that regulation moves with the industry,” he said.
The ban means television broadcasts that include segments with betting operators during play or breaks will need to be adjusted for NSW audiences or else dropped altogether.
It applies to events shorter than four hours “siren to siren”, meaning Test cricket or golf tournaments will be excluded.
Exactly how much is being gambled online on sport is yet to be quantified but the advertising spend by betting agencies increased fourfold between 2010 and 2013 to nearly $48m, according to monitoring firm Ebiquity.
Samantha Thomas, an associate professor in public health at Deakin University in Victoria, said the ban was positive but only stunted “one small part of the total suite of marketing promotions that go on during sporting matches”.
She said viewers, including children, would still see generic gambling advertising, company logos on jerseys and sponsorship in stadiums.
“We have to stop thinking about problematic advertising as just being about live odds promotions and have to think more comprehensively about the range of marketing tactics that children may be exposed to, and how that might influence their attitudes towards gambling, particularly in sport,” she said.
A report in August by Financial Counselling Australia detailed the use of aggressive marketing tactics by sports betting operators, included offering credit to gamblers already in debt and the use of inducements such as tickets to sporting events.
One case study included in the report detailed how one man was offered up to $500 in free bets, and went on to gamble away the proceeds of the sale of his home.
In another, a man attempted suicide owing to his gambling debts and emerged from hospital to an offer by one company to take him to a boxing match.
NSW will ban these tactics in December by expanding the current ban on enticing bets by “credit, voucher or reward” to cover “all inducements”.
Grant said the state was awaiting the results of a federal review into online betting being run by theformer NSW premier Barry O’Farrell, due to report on 18 December.
