Australia’s NSW moves closer to ban gambling ads on public transport

Gambling advertising on public transport is set to be outlawed in the Australian state of New South Wales.

On Tuesday (Jan. 28), government ministers in the country’s most populous state announced the long-awaited measure, while there was criticism that it has taken too long to materialize. 

The state of Victoria made similar changes back in 2017, so NSW has an effective case study and template to follow in the coming months. It is now expected that a ‘phase-out’ period will commence over the next year, to eradicate all gambling advertising on buses, trains, ferries, and publicly-owned station infrastructure.

The ban will not apply to the owners of other physical assets such as bus stops, retail outlets, and nearby property, but they will be encouraged to join in with the removal of gambling advertising.

As reported by AAP, Transport Minister Jo Haylen said: 

“Gambling advertising has been a common sight on our public transport for a couple of years now, parents are rightly worried about the impact it has on their kids, so it’s not something that needs to be on our transport network.”

In related news, Australia’s Star Casino company is facing a mounting financial crisis.

The NSW Labor government will ban gambling advertising on public transport – including axing all internal and external promotions on trains, buses and light rail and at stations and ferry wharves pic.twitter.com/T88yns3kcx

— Evan (@fictillius) January 27, 2025

One of the voices calling for urgent action is Martin Thomas, the chief executive of the Alliance for Gambling Reform. 

He pointed to the proliferation of ads across the transport network, which provides one of the largest advertising assets for NSW. The scope includes around 800 ad boards at train stations and more than 3700 ad spots on buses and managed spaces. Many of these have been used for the promotion of gambling offerings.

“These are public assets and ads that reach children, and it’s completely inappropriate they feature gambling advertisements that not only harm kids but put a critical drain on the state budget through the damage gambling causes,” he told AAP.

“The federal government has been sitting on a report for 18 months now which has recommended the full ban on all gambling ads. We don’t have to have triggering ads for people every minute we turn on our screens, or even just catch a bus.”

A prominent government report, delivered in 2023, recommended a blanket ban on gambling advertising in all forms, but the response has been sluggish, with cross-bench representatives claiming the federal government is ceding ground to the gambling industry lobby. 

Australians are thought to collectively lose AUS $25 billion ($15.6b) through gambling every year, the highest amount in the world on a per capita basis.

Image credit: Via Midjourney

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