Media regulator ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) has found Network 10’s streaming service 10 Play breached gambling advertising rules by running gambling ads outside allowed times during two live-streamed sports events.
ACMA investigated 10 Play following complaints from viewers relating to live streams in October of an A-League Women’s game between Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle, and the Socceroos friendly clash against England.
It found that 10 Play served gambling ads within the blackout zone of between 5am and 8.30pm in the morning and afternoon of 14 October.
ACMA has issued Network 10 with a formal warning.
“These rules are in place to minimise potential harm caused by gambling promotional content,” ACMA member Carolyn Lidgerwood said.
“Streaming services are expected to have systems in place to provide their ads in line with the law.
“This is the first time Ten has breached the rules around gambling advertising in live sports and it has co-operated with us throughout our investigation.”
Ten told ACMA the breach was due to an error in a manual coding process and it has now upgraded its processes to provide more automation around the scheduling of gambling ads.
A Network 10 spokesperson said: “We acknowledge the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) findings and unreservedly regret the placement of controlled advertising in our online live streams, which was inadvertent and in error.
“We take our advertising obligations seriously and have collaborated with ACMA during this investigation.
“We have reviewed and improved our 10 Play processes and conducted training with relevant staff to address the errors that have occurred on this occasion.”
ACMA warned it may undertake further action if Network 10 breaches gambling ad rules in the future.
Gambling advertising has come under heavy scrutiny with the Albanese Government promising to crack down on the prevalence of gambling ads, although it is likely to fall short of a full blown ban that has been called for by anti-gambling advocates.
Current plans are thought to include limiting gambling advertising to two spots per hour, banning it during games, and limiting it during other programming specifically aimed at children.
The betting industry, media and sports bodies have been lobbying against a gambling ad ban, warning that cutting advertising and sponsorship revenue from betting shops could severely impact TV operations, particularly in regional Australia.
Last week, Tabcorp was fined $4.6 million for repeated breaches of its betting licence and the responsible gambling code between August 2020 and February 2023.