By Byron Kaye and Christine Chen
SYDNEY, April 2 (Reuters) - Australia said it would ban gambling advertisements featuring celebrities and limit online gambling advertisements to internet users over 18, an attempt to appease public health concerns but falling short of measures recommended by its own inquiry.
Nearly three years since his government's review recommended a total ban of online gambling advertisements, citing a blowout in public health costs, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday his government would only allow the advertisements online for users who were logged into accounts and over 18.
Gambling advertisers, a major contributor to free-to-air television and sports revenue, already face restrictions in frequency and the time of day they can go on air. The wide-ranging new rules include a cap of three advertisements per hour between 6 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., with a complete ban during live sports broadcasts within those hours.
The package, which takes effect from 2027, addresses an issue that has gnawed at Albanese's centre-left government although it commands a record majority in parliament. Cross-benchers say Albanese has been too slow to address gambling, a problem that was forecast to cost Australians A$34 billion ($23 billion) last year, the most per capita in the world.
"Not a single parent in this country would opt in to their kids seeing gambling ads," said Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Tim Costello, referring to a feature of the new law that requires an internet user to opt out if they don't want to see ads.
"The government should not claim they are protecting kids from gambling advertising by asking parents to opt out. The onus should be squarely on the gambling companies and the platforms."
BIGGEST GAMBLING REFORM 'EVER'
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But Albanese stood by the new rules, which he called "the most significant reform on gambling that has ever been implemented".
"The government is taking decisive action to tackle the community and public health concerns associated with gambling," he said in a statement.
The rules focused on minimising children's exposure to gambling harm by stopping the "deluge of advertisements" they faced, he added.
Advertisements would also be banned on the radio during school drop-off and pick-up times. The use of celebrities and sports stars in gambling promotions would also be prohibited, while gambling branding would be banned from sports venues and from the uniforms of both players and officials.
The ban is likely to affect online gaming companies like London-listed Flutter Entertainment PLC - owner of the most popular betting app in Australia, Sportsbet - and Entain PLC, owner of third-ranked app Ladbrokes.
Shares in No. 2 gambling company Tabcorp Holdings were down 1.9% in afternoon trading, steeper than the benchmark ASX200 index's 1.1% decline.
($1 = 1.4520 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Byron Kaye and Christine Chen in Sydney; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Kevin Buckland and Raju Gopalakrishnan)