Former rugby union player turned Senator David Pocock and international cricketer Usman Khawaja have criticised the former Australian government for its total failure to tackle the rise of excessive gambling advertisements.
The two Australian sports stars have teamed up to fight the growing concerns of the volume of gambling advertisements, hoping to protect younger people who have been exposed to such messaging.
Speaking 7News Australia, Pocock criticised those in charge for failing to act.
“We have to stop the normalisation of gambling for young people, we are setting them up for failure if they think this is just a part of being Australian and a normal part of watching sport.
“There are really strong recommendations from the last parliament to do exactly that.
“We’ve seen the total failure of the last parliament to act in the best interests of Australians and future generations and pit vested interests, gambling companies and sporting organisations ahead of communities.”
The rise of young gambling is a significant concern for the duo, with Khawaja citing his own experiences of witnessing such worrying trends.
“The real worry is in the last 10 years in how we normalise gambling for the young generation to the point now where they can’t watch a football or cricket match without gambling.
“In the past, you watched a game because you supported a team but now, I’ve seen kids as young as 15 gambling on the game, thinking it’s ok to do this.
“We have a fundamental right to be wary of what we’re showing them.”
The latest news regarding gambling ads came from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who warned that a blanket ban on advertising would be difficult to enforce, especially given the risk of pushing people to illegal markets.
While he was hesitant to commit to a position, he did say that a formal response will come in the months ahead and that reforms are already underway.
