According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma), over a million gambling advertisements were broadcast on free-to-air television and radio within a span of just 12 months.
The extensive study was commissioned by Acma and conducted by Nielsen, an audience analytics company, covering the period from May 2022 to April 2023.
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The Nielsen study did not encompass gambling ads aired on pay TV or subscription streaming services, which implies that the actual number of wagering ads during this 12-month period was higher than the shocking figure of one million.
The survey finds that the majority of gambling ads originated from online wagering companies, which were the dominant spenders on television, radio, and online platforms in an increasingly competitive market.
It was further revealed that five online wagering companies were responsible for “almost half a million gambling ads aired in the 12 months.” However, these companies were not named by Acma.
The research by Nielsen identified an average of 1,381 gambling spots per day on free-to-air television in capital cities, with a slightly lower average of 928 per day in regional TV markets.
The peak time for gambling ads on free-to-air TV was observed to be between 9pm and 10pm.
“Between 6am to 8am, 27,200 ads aired, and between 5pm to 6pm there were 16,300,” said in the Nielson report.
The report also finds that gambling companies spend $162m on free-to-air television, $34.6m on social media advertising, $22.4m on metro radio markets and $19.5m on other online platforms.
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