Tara Murray
Brimbank council has upped its war on gambling, calling for a ban on gambling advertisements.
Councillor Virginia Tachos raised a notice of motion at a recent council meeting calling for there to be a phased ban on all gambling advertising in Australia.
She is also seeking commitments to further investigate the convergence of gaming and gambling to ensure appropriate regulation and protection of vulnerable groups.
Cr Tachos said wagering and sports betting losses in Victoria in the second part of 2020 totalled $1.2 billion.
“As we know, Brimbank has experienced the highest losses from electronic gaming machines (EGMs or pokies) for more than a decade,” she said.
“Preventing harm from EGMs continues to be the primary focus for the council.
“However, recent data suggests that losses from wagering and sports betting are now similar to EGMs in Victoria.
“This represents a 44 per cent increase on the same period in 2019, and it is estimated that more than 85 per cent of these bets are now made online.
“Data is not available at a local level, but it is likely that Brimbank residents have contributed to these increases.”
Cr Tachos said while restrictions on when gambling advertisements could be shown had been in place since 2018, they didn’t go far enough.
Tara Murray
