Australia to ban 'live' odds during games

Australia will ban the broadcast of betting odds during live sports matches under new rules unveiled Sunday designed to keep the watching of sport on television separate from the promotion of gambling.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the government had ordered broadcasters to amend their codes to ensure a reduction in the promotion and advertising of gambling during sport.

"From the moment that the players step onto the field, to the moment that they leave the field, there will be no ‘live’ odds," Gillard told reporters in Sydney.

"This is good news for families, because families I think have become increasingly frustrated about the penetration of ‘live’ odds into sporting coverage."

Under the new rules, all promotion of betting odds on broadcast media will be prohibited during live sports matches, including by gambling companies and commentators.

"All generic gambling broadcast advertisements will be banned during play," Gillard said in a joint statement with Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.

"Advertisements of this sort would only be allowed before or after a game; or during a scheduled break in play, such as quarter-time and half-time."

The government said it will monitor the intensity of generic gambling advertisements within the allowed periods, and if these were found to "go beyond reasonable levels" a total advertising ban would be imposed.

Under the new rules, banner advertisements, sponsorship logos, and other broadcast promotions must not appear during play. Representatives of gambling companies cannot appear with the commentary team and when crossed to, cannot be at or around the venue and must be clearly identified.

The government said it expected the broadcasting industry to submit a revised code to the Australian Communications and Media Authority reflecting these changes and threatened to legislate the changes if they failed to do so.

The industry body representing commercial free-to-air television networks, Free TV Australia, responded by saying it would submit a revised code to the broadcasting regulator within two weeks.

"These are unprecedented restrictions for broadcasters but we accept the government has acted in response to community concern," chief executive Julie Flynn said in a statement.

The National Rugby League, which in recent years has seen bookmakers giving odds during broadcasts, also backed the government's proposal.

"The overwhelming sentiment is that we do not want to see betting as the primary focus of our game," NRL chief executive Dave Smith said.

"Fans, and particularly young fans, should not be subject to excessive promotion of betting during matches.

"We want young kids to be enjoying the skills of their favourite team, not quoting the odds."

Gillard, an avid supporter of Australian Rules football, has long complained about the integration of gambling into sports matches.

"I think it has just got over the top, and so I think people will be relieved to hear this today," she said.

Federal independent Senator Nick Xenophon, a veteran anti-gambling campaigner, said the proposal did not go far enough, saying a total ban was needed.

"The best way to fix this problem is not to have gambling advertising during sporting games," he told reporters in Adelaide.