CANBERRA, June 28 (Xinhua) — A parliamentary committee has recommended a ban on gambling advertising in Australia within three years.

The parliamentary standing committee on social policy and legal affairs on Wednesday tabled the report from its inquiry into online gambling and its impacts.

After months of hearings and submissions, the committee made 31 recommendations including a comprehensive ban on all forms of advertising for online gambling, to be introduced in four phases, over three years.

Peta Murphy, chair of the committee, said the three-year time frame would give sports broadcasters time to find alternative advertisers.

“Australians are the biggest losers in the world when it comes to gambling. We have a culture where sports and gambling are intrinsically linked. These behaviors are causing increasingly widespread and serious harm to individuals, families, and communities,” she said in a media release.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Australians lost approximately 25 billion Australian dollars (16.7 billion U.S. dollars) on gambling in the financial year 2018-19, representing the largest per capita losses in the world.

The inquiry also called on the federal government to implement a comprehensive national strategy on online gambling harm reduction, supported by national regulation, an online gambling ombudsman, a harm reduction levy on online wagering service providers, a public education campaign, more independent research and improved data collection.

It recommended a crackdown on illegal gambling websites and a requirement for gambling companies to verify a customer’s identity before accepting their bets. ■