Online betting sites top search results for gambling treatment

A Microsoft spokesperson said it took user safety seriously and had removed the PointsBet ad.

“Unfortunately, sometimes ads like this make it through our detection mechanisms,” they said. “When we become aware of these instances, we take action to remove them as soon as possible.”

However, while the PointsBet ads were gone by Wednesday and searches for “gambling treatment” no longer displayed ads, searches for “help” or a “helpline” instead returned ads for other online gambling services, including Neds, Ladbrokes and Palmerbet.

The Microsoft spokesperson said the company acted to remove inappropriate ads as soon as possible, and would then “apply the feedback into our detection mechanisms to improve our ability to detect and remove similar ads in the future”.

Liquor & Gaming NSW is reviewing the advertisement placement. A spokesperson said it would “be engaging with Microsoft directly to express these significant concerns”.

“The placement of this advertising is completely inappropriate and it is concerning that gambling advertisements are being promoted to potentially vulnerable persons who are seeking help,” they said.

Charles Livingstone, an associate professor at Monash University and head of its gambling and social determinants unit, said online gambling advertising was designed to present betting as a fun activity while enjoying sport and TV shows.

“It’s an appalling outcome for people to have to grin and bear that kind of interference with getting help,” he said. “It’s like having to pass through a gamut of heroin dealers while getting help for a drug addiction.”

According to Nielsen Research, the gambling industry spent $287.2 million on advertising in Australia in 2021, excluding stadium advertising and sponsorships. The figure was more than triple its 2011 spend.

In 2018, Australia introduced a ban on advertising betting products during live sport broadcasts on TV and online between 5am and 8.30pm.

Livingstone said more regulation of gambling advertising in the online space was a “no-brainer”.

“If you want to stop new recruits being drummed up by these operators, we need to think about where they are coming from, and how they are being kept there,” he said.

Hamilton agreed advertising regulation needed to be part of the strategy used to address online betting in the community, noting it was a rapidly growing form of gambling but “significantly underrepresented” in treatment presentations and research.

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