Network 10 broke gambling advertising rules during its broadcast of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in March of last year. The breach involved airing gambling promotions during restricted hours.
Here’s What Happened: The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found that Network 10 aired four gambling advertisements during prohibited times while broadcasting the first practice round of the 2023 Grand Prix. Gambling ads are not allowed during sporting events between 5 am and 8:30 pm, including a five-minute buffer before and after. Practice and qualifying rounds for motorsports have the same restrictions as the main race.
What This Means Now: Network 10 admitted the breach, attributing it to “human error.” The network has since taken steps to avoid future violations, including improving planning, checks, and quality controls for ad scheduling. They will also train staff and report progress to the ACMA.
The Bigger Picture: While this is Network 10’s first breach of these specific broadcasting rules, its online platform, 10 Play, breached online gambling ad rules over 100 times in 2024 during two live-streamed sporting events. The ACMA is actively monitoring Network 10’s compliance with both broadcasting and online gambling advertising regulations, and this latest issue underlines the importance of stringent controls.
