Government says it hopes clubs will end jersey deals with wagering companies earlier, but calls it a commercial decision
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Children across Australia will continue to see gambling logos on professional sport jerseys until up to 2032 despite the government’s pledge to break the link between sport and wagering.
The Albanese government has banned gambling company logos on jerseys but legislated a five-year transition period to allow clubs and bookmakers to adjust.
The 2032 deadline has been criticised by public health experts, who question why the government recognised the logos as harmful but allowed them to remain for so long.
The grandfathering provisions mean a child in year 8 today could see gambling logos on a sports professional jersey until they finish school.
The five-year window has been criticised by the crossbench senator David Pocock, who called on clubs to end jersey sponsorships “at the earliest opportunity”.
“We are in an absurd situation where by the time of the legislation’s three-year statutory review, jerseys may still have betting logos on them,” Pocock said.
The Liberal MP Andrew Wallace, who crossed the floor to vote against the bill, said five years was too generous and that he pushed his party room to accept a two-year deadline.
“I thought that was an appropriate period to allow these sporting codes and clubs to find alternatives and to cease those gambling company connections,” Wallace said.
When asked about the five-year window, the communications minister, Anika Wells, said one unnamed sports club had a jersey deal until 2031.
Wells said she hoped clubs would end their jersey deals with wagering companies earlier, but stressed that was a commercial decision for clubs and not government.
“In trying to strike a balance here between grandfathering existing arrangements and ensuring viability, that’s what we got to,” Wells told reporters.
“That [2031 contract] is the most egregious one (…) but there’s plenty that are expiring this year, for example.”
Seven NRL clubs have the wagering or lottery company logos on their jerseys, with several contracts running until at least the end of the 2028 season.
