Australia’s ban on gambling advertising will not be introduced this week. This may also be the last week the Australian Parliament sits this term, making the bill’s progression uncertain.

The government has been further discussing gambling regulation since an inquiry last June. The late Member of Parliament Peta Murphy’s report included 31 recommendations, including a full ban of gambling advertising.

Gambling is a particular issue in the country. According to research, Australians lose around $25 billion on legal gambling every year, the largest per capita losses globally.

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Earlier this year, ReadWrite reported that “one million gambling ads had been aired in one year in Australia,” according to an open letter signed by prominent Australians. Despite these external and internal pressures, the parliament is still yet to respond to Murphy’s report or make the proposed bill public.

Competition Minister Andrew Leigh said that the government was prepared to bring in restrictions “immediately” but that they still don’t have enough numbers to pass the bill.

“It’s quite clear at the moment … the numbers aren’t there to progress the reforms the government has put through, which would significantly curtail gambling ads around major sporting events so there would be a blackout period before and after sporting events,” he said.

“If we thought the numbers were there, we’d put it to the parliament immediately, but the fact that the numbers aren’t there says everything about the way in which the opposition is moving into blocking mode.”

This directly contradicted the view from sport minister Anika Wells, who said that a ban on gambling ads was not ready for parliament yet.

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She said: “I’ve got national sporting organizations and professional codes who are worried about how this will impact the viability of their financial model … I think it needs more nuanced work.”

The Labor government continues to be split on the issue of a full advertising ban, with some believing a partial one is the better decision.

SYNOT Group has been granted a 10-year license for production, distribution and technical support within the Bulgarian market. This significant step is part of SYNOT’s further expansion in the Balkan region, where the company plans to make its most successful products available to new customers.

“We are really happy with obtaining the license for the Bulgarian market“, said Stanislav Stanev, International Business Development Director of SYNOT Group. „Like this we can continue with our expansion plans within the Balkan region and make available our most successful products for the Bulgarian customers as well. The license is coming just on time for the upcoming BEGE expo in Sofia, where we are expecting to meet most of the local operators and have some fruitful discussions and presentations of our most successful products from both online and land-based divisions.”

For the first time ever, SYNOT Group will present its extensive product portfolio at the Balkan Entertainment and Gaming Exhibition, which will take place from 27th to 28th November at the Inter Expo Center in Sofia. We are delighted to invite all visitors to our booth 2.18 where they will have the opportunity to explore SYNOT’s advanced multigame progressive jackpot systems MAGIC BALL LINK and SUPER LINK, the state-of-the-art cabinets, such as UP2-32, Eclipse FL-32 and UP1-27 as well as the latest titles from the proven game sets. Visitors interested in online slots or comprehensive iGaming solutions should also not miss our online section.

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“Participating in BEGE is a valuable opportunity for us to strengthen relationships with partners and establish new collaborations in a Balkan region that we consider strategically very important,” added Stanev.