If gambling advertising is so unpopular says Bernard Keane, then consumers should vote with their feet. Nanny state regulations are just another assault on free speech.

It’s not a pleasant duty to stand up for the rights of the gambling industry, even if the harm inflicted on society by gambling is the subject of much hype and handwringing. Gambling is, mostly, a voluntary tax on stupidity. But supporting free speech is only authentic when you support the speech of those you disagree with.

Gambling is, mostly, a voluntary tax on stupidity 

As the codes have correctly noted, Australia can legislate all the nanny state nonsense it likes against gambling but it won’t affect offshore gambling sites one iota. The result is to simply encourage Australian gamblers to go to those offshore websites and not Australian ones, which pay Australian taxes and are better regulated. Every attack on gambling sites in Australia simply means more money for foreign gambling sites and less revenue for Australian governments.

(TV ad bans) will simply encourage Australian gamblers to go to offshore websites instead of Australian ones

If consumers don’t like the ads, then they can boycott the product, stop gambling and stop watching sport until the TV networks respond to the market signal. 

But Australians gamble — a lot. There’s a gap between stated and revealed preference here — the twenty billion-plus dollars we lose gambling each year belies the objections to gambling ads that so many people seem to have.