According to a report by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the period between May 2022 and April 2023 saw a significant number of advertisements from licensed online gambling operators appearing on free-to-air television and metro radio in Australia. Out of all the ads, 50% (502,800) were from online gambling operators. On metro free-to-air TV, online gambling ads accounted for 51% (256,000) of all ads, followed by lotteries at 20% (99,500) and lottos at 17% (84,000). The remaining ads focused on on-premises gambling, horse racing, harness racing, and greyhound racing.
In terms of regional TV, 34% of gambling ads were aired, with online gambling representing 58% (196,400) of those ads. The remaining ads were for lottery, raffle, and instant lottery at 16% (52,600) and lotto at 15% (49,600). As for metro radio, 16% of gambling ads appeared on these platforms, with online gambling accounting for 31% (50,200) of all ads. Other services advertised included lotteries, raffles, instant lotteries, horse racing, harness racing, greyhound racing, and on-site gambling.
During the 12-month period, a total of AU$238.6m (£124.6m/€143.7m/US$151.4m) was spent on gambling advertisements. Online operators accounted for 64% of this spending, followed by lotteries, raffles, and instant lotteries at 12%, on-site gambling at 9%, lotto at 8%, horse racing, harness racing, and greyhound racing at 3%, and other forms of gambling at 4%. Metro TV received the majority of spending at 56% ($133.0m), followed by social media at 15% ($34.6m), regional TV at 12% ($29.0m), metro radio at 9% ($22.4m), and general display ads on websites and apps at $19.5m.
Adverts on both metro and regional TV had a peak between 9pm and 10pm, which is expected due to the restrictions on gambling ads during live sport between 5am and 8.30pm. Metro radio had a peak at around 6pm and a smaller peak in the mornings between 6am and 8am. Online gambling ads on both metro and regional TV saw peaks at 9pm and 10pm, while metro radio peaked at 6pm.
Note that the research does not cover other forms of advertising such as print, billboards, and cinemas. ACMA highlighted that while gambling is a popular form of entertainment in Australia, it can also have negative financial and social impacts on individuals and their families. This research serves as a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate on policy and regulatory reform in the gambling advertising industry.
