Television networks who struggle to get through the day without showing hundreds of gambling commercials will now have access to a confidential support hotline.
Gambling welfare advocate Josie Richards said many television networks in Australia were totally dependent on gambling revenue and needed help to quit.
“It’s incredibly addictive. I’ve talked to television executives who say they start the day telling themselves they are just going to show one Sportsbet ad during a Friday night football broadcast, but then they get caught up in the excitement and end up showing two hundred. That’s how quickly things can escalate”.
She said many networks were now so reliant on gambling advertising that they couldn’t concentrate on anything else. “They tell themselves – ‘Just one more gambling ad, and then I’ll stop’. But then all of a sudden it’s two in the morning and they’re still placing gambling ads”.
Richards said gambling advertising had widespread consequences for the networks. “It has the potentially to tear programming apart, and totally destroy broadcasts. Some shows have become totally unwatchable. It’s very sad”.
The hotline will be promoted using a variety of different messages, including: “Is the financial viability of your organisation totally reliant on gambling advertising?”, “How many lives are you destroying by showing these relentless fucking ads?” And “Really? Another gambling ad? You literally just showed one”.
