Free-to-air TV could be in jeopardy if gambling ads are banned, the sector's commercial lobby says, as it calls for support amid pressure on the government to phase the advertising out.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has held out on implementing a full ban recommended by a landmark review headed by a late Labor MP, but a government plan has been flagged as a partial ban.
Australians lose more money gambling per capita than anyone else in the world, with $25 billion lost on legal forms of wagering every year, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Free TV has called for any policy to be counterbalanced by reducing red tape for the broadcasting industry, such as scrapping the "outdated" commercial broadcast tax, a fee linked to where a network broadcasts.
"Whatever the precise policy outcome of this debate it is clear that there will be a significant impact on commercial television broadcasters from the loss of advertising revenue," Free TV told AAP in a statement.
It also called for the government to look at ways to support news production costs and regional television services.
Almost $240 million was spent on gambling advertising on free-to-air TV, radio and online between May 2022 and April 2023, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Independent senator David Pocock said while support for public interest journalism was a concern and a discussion about broadcasting was needed, "it cannot come at the cost of the harms we are seeing play out in our communities".
"From suicides, to family breakdown and increases in family and domestic violence," he told AAP.
"If the sustainability of free TV is the issue then let’s address that separately to the concern around gambling harm."
The gambling industry has also fought against a total ad ban, arguing it would push punters to illegal overseas gambling sites.
Responsible Wagering Australia chief executive Kai Cantwell - whose organisation represents companies like Sportsbet, Pointsbet and bet365 - says he supports caps on the volume and frequency of broadcast advertising.
"We run the risk of driving Australian consumers to the illegal offshore providers, which are rife online already," he told ABC radio on Tuesday.
"They offer no consumer protections and no economic benefits for Australian punters."
Senator Pocock rebuffed the claims, saying no one was stopping Australians having a punt or downloading a betting app.
"This is about stopping the inundation, the total saturation of online and TV advertising," he said.
In parliament, Ms Rowland hit out at claims she had met repeatedly with gambling executives ahead of creating the reforms, denying she was being pressured by industry lobbyists.
"Documents will show I met zero times with gambling executives, and we all continue to go about this process with the facts in an orderly way, because facts are important here," she said.
"We have assessed the impact of various options and consulting on a proposed model and stakeholders are putting their views forward, and the government will continue to consult in a mature and orderly manner."
Health experts including Deakin University professor Samantha Thomas say gambling marketing sends positive messages about the industry to children.
A partial ban would not prevent that, she said.
