In Australia, many media are embroiled in huge controversy due to operating with gambling advertisements

Recently, on September 2, Singapore's "The Straits Times" reported that many free TV, radio, newspapers and other media in Australia have sparked widespread controversy due to relying on gambling advertisements to maintain operations.

In 2021, Australia introduced legislation requiring social media and technology companies to pay news usage fees to local news agencies. Although Meta and Google have reached agreements with Australian media, in February this year, Meta announced that it would not renew the contract, and many companies also intend to follow suit. Under this predicament, gambling advertisements have become a key source of income that Australian media focuses on. In the past 20 years, online gambling advertisements have been an important revenue channel for Australian TV and radio companies. Data from the Gambling Research Center at the Australian National University shows that about 33% of Australians have participated in online gambling in the past year, and online gambling advertisements on TV and radio have played an important role in promoting it.

Facing this situation, many politicians and scholars in Australia are calling for a "total ban on gambling advertisements". According to a report by the British "The Guardian", the Australian government is considering banning gambling advertisements only one hour before and after children's programs and live sports broadcasts. At the same time, TV or radio media can only play two gambling advertisements per hour. Although the Australian government admits that gambling advertisements are harmful to society, it currently does not intend to deprive the media of advertising revenue from gambling companies. It believes that "limiting" rather than "banning" gambling advertisements is an important measure to ensure that domestic TV and radio companies can deal with a significant reduction in revenue.

However, this approach has aroused strong dissatisfaction among the public. Some people have proposed tax reductions and government subsidies for news activities that are in the public interest to reduce the burden on Australian media. Public opinion has also put great pressure on the government. How Australian media can find a balance between economic benefits and social responsibilities in the future has become the focus of attention from all walks of life. The follow-up development of this controversy is also highly anticipated.