The United Nations Children's Fund has weighed into the escalating debate about the saturation of sports-betting advertising in Australia, saying rates of teenage gambling across the nation are "deeply concerning".
UNICEF, in a new submission this week, praised the Turnbull government's commitment to introduce a ban on gambling promotions during live sports events from 5am to 8.30pm, but said the reforms must extend even further.
"Although there are undoubtedly many competing interests under consideration, this policy issue has an undeniable and significant impact on children," the submission said.
"This requires that the best interests of children as a group should be given priority by the parliament in determining both the scope of the restriction and the implementation pathway."
UNICEF cited the findings of research from Australia and overseas that found between 63 and 82 per cent of young people aged 12-17 gambled each year, and as many as 15 per cent were at risk of developing a serious gambling problem.
UNICEF's key recommendations include widening the parameters of the ban to cover "known peak viewing times" for under-17-year-olds, which could be as late as 9pm, and enshrining in legislation civil penalties for breaches of the new rules.
It comes as concerns over sports-betting advertising swelled again on Thursday after tennis player Nick Kyrgios's brother, Christos, wore a bright blue t-shirt printed with a gambling company's logo to a prime-time match and was shown on camera several times during the broadcast.
The marketing stunt was condemned by anti-gambling campaigners, who said children should be able to enjoy watching live sport without being subjected to gambling ads.
Gambling expert Samantha Thomas, an associate professor at Deakin University, said her surveys had found 75 per cent of children now thought gambling was a normal and common part of sport. She said the decision by UNICEF - a world-leading children's organisation in nearly 200 countries - to lodge a submission on the matter demonstrated the significance of the risk to children.
"This is a further indication that this is an incredibly important issue for children in Australia and that legislation is needed urgently to protect them from exposure to these advertisements," Dr Thomas said.
As part of an effort to "establish a clear and practical safe zone" for children watching or listening to sport, the federal government has moved to introduce the new ban on gambling ads during all daytime live sports except racing, from five minutes before the start of play to five minutes after the final siren.
The ban, expected to be finalised by March, is being supported by the country's online corporate bookmakers, who have said in a submission through lobby group Responsible Wagering Australia they recognised the public's concern about levels of gambling advertising, "particularly the volume of gambling advertising that is viewed by minors", and believed the reform was appropriate.
But Australia's major sporting codes and the TV and radio broadcast industry are trying to secure a string of controversial exemptions to the new rules, which critics say will "water down" the effect of the government's intention.
Proposed exemptions would allow limited gambling advertising to be broadcast during breaks in long-form live sports including cricket, tennis and the Olympics, and would exclude some forms of gambling advertising from the ban entirely.
Television networks have become increasingly reliant on revenue from the gambling industry, which spent nearly $150 million on wagering and lottery advertisements in 2016, an increase of 19 per cent on the year before. There are fears that any cuts to advertising revenue from sports events could reduce their ability to recoup the millions of dollars they spend securing exclusive sports broadcast rights.
