ABC Radio Perth - Gambling Advertising (6 Aug 2024)
Interviewer: Thank you very much. Kate Chaney is the independent MP for Curtin and is called in. Good morning, Kate. I know you've campaigned very hard on this. Is this a fair compromise?
Kate Chaney: Good morning, Nadia. Well, I sat on the committee that came up with that report and made those recommendations, including the phase-out. And I think that is really what people want to see. They want to see a complete ban on ads, not this compromise between making sure that you don't offend or upset the gambling companies or the TV stations that make so much money out of it. So I think people are crying out for strong leadership on this, and it's really time the government had some guts and made a decisive move like we did with tobacco ads 20 years ago. Otherwise, we just see the revenue being moved around to different places. Maybe it's off the TV, but then we end up seeing more of it on the jerseys.
Interviewer: Who's most at risk with these ads? Is it young men?
Kate Chaney: There are a lot of young men, and I've heard heartbreaking stories, mainly from parents of young men who've seen their sons get caught up in online gambling. It's sold as a way to bet with your mates and has this sort of camaraderie around it, and they've lost lots and lots of money. Terrible stories, sitting at home on their own with their phone. It's available 24-7. There's no escape from the ads everywhere you look. And there's so much shame involved with it that people are not willing to tell their stories out loud.
Interviewer: Yeah, and it's often, you know, I've spoken to people like you, Kate, like a mother or a father of someone who's racked up a $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 bill.
Kate Chaney: They're trying to support their child, but, you know, there's a lot of shame attached to it too, I guess.
Interviewer: That's right, and if we can't talk about it, the problem is hidden, and it's not a fair fight. You know, some people say, well, it's up to individuals to take responsibility for their own actions. These online gambling companies have 200 pieces of data on each customer, and they use that information to optimize their advertising and get the most they can out of that individual. So it's all very well saying, personal responsibility, but it's just not a fair fight.
Interviewer: And if it was to be banned, would you be comfortable with paying some compensation to the media companies?
Kate Chaney: Look, I think we have to consider all options and really, you know, whatever it takes to get it done, we've got to consider it. But I do think it's interesting that this morning the TV stations are saying they should have, they should get some relief against their spectrum fees because gambling companies have voluntarily reduced their gambling ad spend. There's a sense of entitlement about that. I think gambling companies can see the writing on the wall. They can see that people are sick to death of it. They've spent less this year on gambling advertising than in previous years. And the TV stations are now saying the government should pay for that. Well, we've got to think very carefully about that. We do need a strong media, but also we can't have a TV industry that's based on gambling revenue.
Interviewer: I'll leave it there, Kate Chaney. They're calling in the independent MP.
Related article: ABC RN Breakfast - Gambling Advertising (5 Aug 2024)
