IAB Australia has called for a considered response to the online gambling recommendations issued on Wednesday by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs.
Gai Le Roy, CEO of IAB Australia said “We recognise there is community concern in relation to ‘saturation’ gambling advertising which needs to be addressed and we are willing to work constructively with the Government to make that happen. However, we are concerned that the Committee’s recommendation to impose an outright ban on all advertising is not a proportionate response.
“There are a range of tools available to manage the delivery of ads online and we would urge the Government to give further thought to how these can best be utilised to reduce the volume of gambling advertising.
“In the current economic climate, any advertising restrictions will affect the industry’s ability to support the delivery of freely available content and services online. Outright bans will have a significant negative impact across the market.
“We are pleased that the Government has indicated it will take time to consider the committee’s Report before responding. We look forward to working with Government to ensure the desired outcomes are achieved in a sustainable way,” Le Roy concluded.
The IAB’s comments come after similar concerns were raised by both Free TV and the CRA.
“The Committee’s proposed ban is based on a fundamentally flawed premise that the advertising market is some kind of magic pudding. But reductions in advertising revenue in the current economic and competitive environment can only result in less funding for Australian content,” said Bridget Fair, Free TV CEO.
CRA CEO Ford Ennals said “We question why radio has been singled out for a ban on gambling ads during our peak listening times of 8.30-9.00 am and 3.30-4pm in the first phase when we are not a primary player in gambling advertising and radio has never been held up as one of the main problem areas.”