Former Prime Minister John Howard has joined dozens of prominent Australians in calling for a complete ban on gambling advertising.
He lent his voice to an open letter published on Saturday demanding that the two main political parties commit to a three-year phased ban to tackle “gambling addiction” in the country.
Along with more than 60 other signatories, Mr Howard said he was “concerned” about the message being sent to young sports fans.
“As an unapologetic sports fan, I am concerned about how advertising is now linked to all our major sporting codes and the message this is sending to our children,” he said.
‘Many Australians are alarmed by the proliferation of gambling advertising on our screens and the increasing losses resulting from gambling.
‘Our political leaders should follow the courageous example of former New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet.’
The decision by Australia’s second-longest-serving prime minister to back the campaign comes after reports the Labor government will propose a cap on TV ads rather than an outright ban.
In June last year, a bipartisan parliamentary inquiry chaired by the late Labour MP Peta Murphy made 31 recommendations, including a phased and complete ban on all gambling advertising across all media.
John Howard lent his voice to an open letter published on Saturday demanding both major political parties commit to a three-year phased ban to tackle the country’s “gambling addiction.”
Mr Howard and the other signatories of the open letter from the Alliance for Gambling Reform call on the Albanian government and opposition to adopt the 31 recommendations.
Other prominent signatories include former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, several former Premiers of New South Wales and Victoria, former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty and a number of independent MPs.
“Our children are also being targeted by the tsunami of gambling ads invading our screens, especially in connection with coverage of our major sports. It is trapping a whole new generation of gamblers,” the letter reads.
‘We, the undersigned, urge the government and opposition to make a public commitment to swiftly adopt and implement the 31 recommendations of the Murphy Report parliamentary inquiry into online gambling.’
The decision by Australia’s second-longest-serving prime minister to back the campaign comes after reports that Albanese’s Labor government will propose a cap on TV ads rather than an outright ban.
Gambling Reform Alliance chief executive Martin Thomas said both the government and opposition had a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to end the vicious cycle of gambling harm.
“Australians lose $25 billion a year to gambling, but the real cost of inaction is the financial ruin, mental health problems, suicide and family and domestic violence that gambling can exacerbate,” he said.
‘It is essential to completely ban all gambling-related advertising to prevent gambling companies from targeting our children.
Any decision to simply limit advertising or limit a blanket ban to social media alone would be a victory for vested interests and leave Australians exposed to significant harm.