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On any given weekend, Australian sports fans see more than a scoreboard. Alongside the tries, goals, and wickets come a flood of betting odds, pitch-side banners, and ads stitched into jerseys. For many viewers, gambling promotion is no longer an interruption to sport; it is part of the spectacle.
But now, one of the country’s most recognisable industry insiders says the line has gone too far.
Elmer Funke Kupper, former chief executive of Tabcorp, has called on the Albanese Government to act decisively on gambling advertising, warning that the failure to do so risks leaving a permanent mark on the country’s youngest generations.
“One of the simplest acts of leadership”
Kupper, who once sat at the very top of Australia’s betting industry, is not pushing for a ban on gambling itself. His concern is the messaging that surrounds it. Gambling, he points out, is already one of the most heavily regulated activities in the country. Advertising, on the other hand, remains “largely unregulated”, a contradiction he says the government can no longer ignore.
He has described tougher restrictions as “one of the simplest acts of leadership.” For Kupper, this is not about reinventing regulation, but about recognising that constant advertising has consequences.
And the numbers back him up.
The youth exposure problem
Fresh figures reveal that more than 600,000 Australians aged between 12 and 17 gambled in the last year. Among 18- and 19-year-olds, the figure is even more striking: 46% admitted to placing bets.
To many critics, this surge is no coincidence. They argue that the saturation of gambling ads around sport has normalised betting for a generation that should be focused on the game, not the odds.
Professor Samantha Thomas of Deakin University, a public health expert, says young people are being “bombarded” by advertising. When betting odds run during halftime breaks, when logos are splashed across their favourite players’ jerseys, and when live commentary folds betting language into play-by-play analysis, gambling becomes part of the sport itself.
A nation losing more than money
The problem is not confined to young audiences. According to the Australian National University, 19.4% of adults are now gambling at risky levels, the highest rate seen in six years. In pure financial terms, Australians lose AU$25 billion every year to gambling. On a per-person basis, that makes Australia the world leader in gambling losses.
The figure reflects the growing weight of gambling harm on families, communities, and support systems. Calls to gambling helplines by Australians under 24 rose 16% in 2023. For many, that statistic underscores just how much the culture of advertising is feeding into real-world problems.
Political pressure builds
Kupper’s intervention adds weight to a chorus of voices already demanding change. Independent senator David Pocock has said plainly that young people should be able to enjoy sport without being “bombarded by betting promotions.” Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has gone further, warning that anything short of a full ban would be “a huge breach of faith” with the community.
The reforms being proposed are specific and immediate: remove gambling ads from stadiums, ban them from being displayed on team kits, and restrict their broadcast around live sports, particularly in the hours when children are most likely to be watching. See more about Australia’s new gambling ad ban by 2026.
For campaigners, these are not radical changes. They are simple guardrails designed to reduce harm and restore a clearer line between sport and gambling.
Canberra’s cautious response
So far, the government has resisted rushing into reform. Communications Minister Anika Wells insists that the consultation process must be inclusive and deliberate. She has emphasised that a range of voices, from industry stakeholders to public health advocates, need to be heard.
“The process is complex but important,” she said, rejecting claims that the government has leaned too heavily on industry perspectives.
Still, frustration is mounting. Critics argue that while Canberra weighs its options, the damage is compounding. Each season of sport, they say, draws in another wave of young Australians who grow up with gambling as a normalised part of the game-day experience.
A review at risk of losing momentum
Much of the current debate traces back to the parliamentary review led by the late MP Peta Murphy, which had laid the groundwork for significant reform. But campaigners now fear that without urgency, the momentum from Murphy’s work could stall.
For them, the stakes are cultural as well as regulatory. If gambling ads continue unchecked, the very character of Australian sport could shift in ways that are difficult to reverse.
A cultural crossroads
Australia’s identity as a sporting nation is undisputed. But whether that identity should be tied so tightly to gambling brands is now at the heart of the national conversation.
For Funke Kupper, the answer is this: gambling advertising cannot remain the backdrop to every match, every broadcast, and every jersey. Limiting exposure, he argues, is about protecting the next generation.
The Albanese Government now faces a choice: to treat gambling ads as just another commercial category, or to recognise them as a unique risk that demands exceptional rules.
The question is no longer whether Australians love sport, they always have. The question is whether the country is willing to let that love be packaged with gambling for years to come.
Source: Gambling Insider
