Australian Broadcaster Seven Fined for Repeated Breach of Online Gambling Advertising Rules

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued a warning and imposed a fine on broadcaster Seven for violating online gambling advertising regulations. ACMA's investigation revealed that The Seven Network Operations Ltd (Seven) displayed a gambling advertisement on December 12th at 10:38 am during a live stream of an NFL game on 7plus. Local broadcasting rules prohibit gambling ads during live streams of sporting events between 5 am and 8:30 pm.

This incident follows a similar breach in October 2022 for which the broadcaster had received a warning. Due to the repeated violation, ACMA imposed the maximum financial penalty possible for this type of breach, amounting to AU$13,320 ($8,663/€8,074).

Nerida O’Loughlin, ACMA Chair, expressed her expectations, saying, "The ACMA expects broadcasters to have robust systems and processes and associated assurance mechanisms in place to support compliance with these laws. Seven has told us that the measures it has in place are adequate to ensure future compliance and it does not need to do more. Following repeated breaches by Seven, we will continue to closely monitor their compliance with the rules to make sure that is the case."

ACMA recently disclosed that online gambling advertisements constitute over 64% of all advertising spending in Australia, with more than 1 million gambling ads airing on free-to-air TV each year. Australia has the highest gambling losses per person in the world, with the average gambler losing approximately AU$1870 ($1200/€1118) annually, according to the latest Global Gambling Statistics.

The action against Seven underscores ACMA's commitment to enforcing regulations aimed at curbing excessive gambling advertising and ensuring compliance within the industry.

By fLEXI tEAM