Australia’s Green Party has never been a big fan of Down Under sports betting and sportsbooks but now they’re taking that hatred to the next level. Recently, the Aussie radicals called for a total ban on every kind of sports betting advertising in the entire continent.
The Greens’ proposal is the most sweeping advertising ban proposal Australia’s seen (and that’s really saying something). Included in the proposal, which was introduced late last week is everything from traditional advertising to integrated sports betting commentary, as well as sponsorship deals for sports teams from bookmakers.
The Australian Green Party is attacking sports betting, and the avalanche of media that accompanies it, with the same ferocity they’ve attacked the tobacco industry. In their eyes, the two vices are equally destructive to the fabric of Australian society.
In a statement on their official website, Green Party Senator Richard Di Natale described the problem as follows:
The Greens have a bill to stop the promotion of sports betting, in the same way tobacco advertising was banned in 1992. Nobody is saying people shouldn’t have the freedom to have a punt if they want, but watching a game of footy shouldn’t be like walking into a casino.
A representative of the Australian Wagering Council, a trade organization that represents the Australian gaming industry, dismissed the Green Party’s actions as, “headline grabbing,” and, “unhelpful.” He went on to say that, despite the barrage of advertising, sports betting only accounts for about 3% of Australians’ total gambling expenditures.