Voters have backed a public call for a total ban on gambling advertising, with 51 per cent in favour of the reform, as federal cabinet delays a decision on tougher rules out of concern at a backlash from sporting codes, media companies and gaming sites.
Labor is considering a partial ban that would cut the number of TV ads and stop them from being aired during programs for children, in a move that could disappoint campaigners who have warned of the social and economic damage from gambling.
Eighty-three per cent of voters favoured a full or partial ban on gambling ads, while only 7 per cent preferred unrestricted betting promotion.
But an exclusive survey shows Australians strongly prefer a total ban to the major alternatives, with only 32 per cent in favour of limiting the ads to two every hour – the leading option within the government.
The findings in the Resolve Political Monitor, conducted for this masthead, show that 50 per cent of Labor voters want a total ban and 46 per cent of Coalition voters say the same.
The support for the total ban is stronger in marginal electorates, where 54 per cent of voters favour the tougher option.
The findings highlight the support for a blanket ban when survey respondents are presented with the idea of a total ban as well as the partial ban that was drafted by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and her office and debated in cabinet.
Federal cabinet met on Monday but could not overcome final stumbling blocks to deciding the policy, given strong opinions among media companies about the way a total ban would cut revenue and make it harder for them to cover news.
Sporting codes including the NRL and the AFL have also told the government a total ban would restrict the funds they receive from their media deals.
The decision to take extra time, driven by what government sources said were concerns raised by stakeholders, represents another delay for the policy after earlier attempts to finalise it in cabinet.
Labor and Coalition MPs threw their support behind a blanket ban on gambling advertising last month to speak in favour of the proposal first aired in a parliamentary committee chaired by former Labor MP Peta Murphy, who died last December. Murphy said last year that partial bans would not work.
Among those in favour of the total ban were Labor MPs Mike Freelander and Maria Vamvakinou, Nationals MP Pat Conaghan, Liberal MPs Bridget Archer and Keith Wolahan and crossbench MPs such as Kate Chaney. Some MPs support Rowland’s proposal to limit ads but not ban them.
The Anglican Church this week wrote to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urging a ban.
While a survey by polling company Freshwater found last month there was 70 per cent support for limiting the ads, the Resolve Political Monitor found softer support for the idea.
The Resolve survey told respondents the government had considered whether to ban the ads, that the industry argued this would have an impact on funding for media and news, and that some MPs from all parties had argued for a full ban.
The question was: “While the federal government is yet to release its final policy, it has floated the idea of limiting gambling advertisements to two an hour during live sport and none during children’s programming. What is your own preference?”
The Resolve Political Monitor surveyed 1614 eligible voters from Tuesday to Saturday to generate results with a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points.
The conclusions suggest 83 per cent of voters favoured a full or partial ban, while only 7 per cent preferred unrestricted gambling advertising. The remainder were undecided.
The survey found Australians were almost as concerned about poker machines in pubs and clubs as they were about sports betting, the main gambling form advertised on television and radio.
While 12 per cent believed sports betting should be the priority, 11 per cent wanted a greater focus on poker machines, and 47 per cent said governments should act on both at the same time. Another 17 per cent said governments should leave gambling alone, while 13 per cent were undecided.
When voters were asked about their views of online betting agencies, 9 per cent had a positive view but 57 per cent had a negative view, resulting in a strong net negative rating for the sector.