Foxtel has been given a slap over the wrists by the Australian Communications and Media Authority after it broke gambling advertising rules.

Gambling laws state that no gambling advertising can be streamed during live sports events between 5am and 8:30pm, including within five minutes of the start and finish of a match.

Kayo was found to have ran these ads during a Fremantle vs Collingwood AFL match broadcast on May 22 last year – during breaks and within five minutes before the start of play.

Foxtel claims this breach was due to a “system failure”.

“A small proportion of viewers who joined the stream at a particular point in time were not identified as viewing the match on a live basis, and were incorrectly served gambling promotional content,” A Foxtel Group spokesperson said.

Kayo has since “implemented live production testing and technical enhancements to the processes and software used to schedule advertising”, following the breach.

The ACMA has issued a formal warning.

“Streaming services need to comply with the rules in the same way traditional television broadcasters do,” warned ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin.

“Gambling advertising during live sport is a major concern for Australians. Families want to watch live sport without needing to worry that children may come to think of gambling as a part of the game.”