The Australian Federal Parliament will be asked on Wednesday to move a bill by the Greens "aimed at drastically reducing the promotion of gambling during sports broadcasts," according to Greg Baum of THE AGE. The Greens "will also present a 20,000-signature petition demanding such action." The bill "will seek to ban gambling ads before 9pm, ban the spruiking of live odds during sports broadcasts and other sports programs, and ban so-called 'cash for comment,' with commentators and guests paid to insinuate gambling information into their work." Greens Sen. Richard Di Natale said, "It is now virtually impossible to watch major sports without being subjected to multiple exhortations to bet on the outcome, either during the advertising breaks or, increasingly, by commentators during the event itself." Adding to the potential for harm was a blurring of the lines between commentary and advertising, Di Natale said, ''The recent inclusion of a prominent bookmaker as part of the rugby league coverage has caused concern for many" (THE AGE, 5/15).
