Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young has slammed Labor’s reluctance to place a blanket ban on gambling advertising, saying they are “too afraid to take on the lobby groups” and comparing it with the fear that US politicians have of gun lobbyists.

Gambling companies spent $238.63 million on advertising in the year to April last year, according to the ACMA.

The media companies and the Albanese Government both argue that lost revenue from this industry would make the free-to-air TV industry unsustainable, and will impact their ability to deliver vital services like news.

Hanson-Young says it shouldn’t be “vulnerable children and those families that are being torn apart because of gambling” that subsidise the television industry, saying such an excuse wouldn’t “wash with the community”.

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“I think millions of Australians expected better from this Labor government – they know that gambling is such an insidious industry,” Hanson-Young told the ABC on Tuesday.

“It feeds off the misery of people. The gambling industry are parasites. They feed off misery. They destroy people’s lives, and they’ve managed to weasel their way into – now, we have politicians, members of the Government, ministers, justifying that they should be able to keep going, in order to fund television shows, news programs, and community sport.

“We need another way.

“It is just baffling to me that we have a government today who just is not showing enough spine to stare down these big gambling lobby groups who have had a free ride for far too long.

“It shouldn’t be vulnerable children and those families that are being torn apart because of gambling that are forced to carry the cost.”

Senator Hanson-Young said experts are equating gambling in Australia to the “gun problem in the US”.

“Politicians are too afraid to take on the lobby groups, they’re too afraid to take on the industry, and they find excuse after excuse not to do the right thing,” she said.

Hanson-Young  said the Greens would force a Senate vote for a complete ban on wagering advertising across digital platforms, radio, and television.

“I hope that the government and members of the opposition see sense. It’s time we stop this insidious industry from wrecking people’s lives.

“This is a gambling industry that for far too long has had free rein, and the community wants that changed.”