The Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA) is reminding gambling providers about adhering to regulations surrounding betting promotions.
There has been some uncertainty about how the existing guidelines function, so the ACMA issued a notice to all authorized operators in Australia. Essentially, the regulations, established in 2018, state that wagering advertisements cannot be displayed during live sporting events between 5 am and 8:30 pm on television, internet platforms, or radio broadcasts. Beyond these times, the limitations are somewhat more relaxed.
The ACMA has been observing activities, especially online, to ensure compliance. They have been gathering information on betting advertisements during live sports and have even reached out to digital platforms to gain insights into their operations.
Following a year of scrutiny, it appears there have been no significant breaches. Nevertheless, the ACMA did identify some discrepancies in how providers were interpreting the regulations. This primarily concerned instances where the rules are not applicable and certain record-keeping obligations. For instance, there is ambiguity surrounding the “simulcast exception,” which exempts some internet broadcasts of sporting events from the advertising regulations outlined in the Broadcasting Services Act of 1992.
The agency responsible for communications and media in Australia, the ACMA, has expressed apprehension that regulations designed to assist smaller streaming platforms are being exploited by bigger corporations. The ACMA pointed out that a regulation permitting companies to circumvent specific rules if their viewership is limited is being applied too extensively, occasionally in tandem with a comparable regulation for specialized cable channels. As an increasing number of Australians turn to online platforms for live sports, the ACMA is concerned that the existing regulations might allow large companies to evade responsibility by asserting a small online audience, despite having a substantial overall viewership. Furthermore, the ACMA identified discrepancies in how companies maintain records of their activities, with different providers monitoring different data sets. Although the ACMA advocates for record-keeping, it emphasized to companies the importance of ensuring their records adhere to established regulations.