Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says banning sports betting ads during broadcast of games is the ‘right thing to do for families’

During his budget reply speech on Thursday, Mr Dutton announced the Coalition will move to ban the advertisements for an hour on either side of a televised sports match. 

Speaking to Sky News host Erin Molan, the Opposition Leader said the betting takes away from what should be “enjoyable family time”. 

“I thought it was the right thing to do for families,” he said on Friday. 

“I’m happy to have a punt like most people and do it responsibly, but I don’t want to sit there with my 15-year-old or 16-year-old son or daughter during a sports match and for the conversation to be dominated by a discussion on multis and odds and who’s going to score a first try.

“It takes away from the experience and from what should be an enjoyable family time.”

In his address to the House of Representatives, Mr Dutton urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to work with the Coalition on the initiative.

“I just think footy time is family time and we’ve said that for an hour before a game starts until an hour after the game finishes, that should be the period where you can just watch the game in peace instead of being bombarded with ad after ad after ad,” he told Molan on Friday. 

Mr Dutton noted there has to be balance, but said he believed there has been a cultural shift in Australia around the pastime. 

“You see kids being exposed to gambling and the normalisation of gambling. That creates a culture where kids do develop a habit of gambling at an early age and it continues,” he said. 

“For many people they can handle it, it can be dealt with responsibly, but for a lot of people they end up in a very difficult situation.

“And I want the interaction between parents in particular and their kids when you’re sitting down to, you know, have a pizza on a Friday night, I want it to be a discussion about the game or what you did during your day.”

The Opposition Leader added he was not setting out to upset people who might be displeased with the announcement, but said it was in the “best interests” of the country.