Recently, Seven West Media’s Seven Network Operations Ltd (Seven) was found to have violated the nation’s gambling advertising laws by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). Seven has been found in violation of this agreement before, and the ACMA has responded with force.
On December 12, 2022, during live sports broadcasts on its streaming service, 7plus, Seven ran a gambling advertising over the hours permitted. The advertisement ran at 10:38 a.m. during a National Football League American Football game.
Gambling commercials are not allowed during live sporting events in Australia between the hours of 5 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., or during the five minutes prior to and following the event. This violation came after Seven received a formal warning from the ACMA for a comparable infraction two months earlier.
The ACMA has fined Seven $13,320 for this most recent infraction, which is the highest sum that the body may apply for similar infractions. Reducing gambling-related damage has been designated by the ACMA as a top priority for compliance in 2023–2024.
Addressing Public Concerns
Australians are concerned about the “high level of exposure to gambling advertising” that they see during live sports programming on a variety of platforms and broadcasters, according to ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin. In order to guarantee compliance with existing standards, O’Loughlin underlined the necessity for broadcasters to have “robust systems and processes with associated assurance mechanisms.”
The ACMA stated that the December breach was a unique incidence and that Seven had already implemented “adequate” mitigating procedures to stop such incidents from happening in the future. These steps consist of improved supervision and more training.
Seven has reassured the ACMA that these changes will guarantee compliance going forward and that they don’t think any other action is required. O’Loughlin did, however, emphasize that the ACMA will closely monitor Seven’s compliance to make sure they keep their word in light of their history of violations.
The media businesses who operate in Australia are being strongly reminded of the significance of complying with casino advertising restrictions by this latest enforcement action.
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