Seven Network handed max penalty for morning broadcast of gambling ad

An Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation has found Seven Network to have breached online content rules.

The company has been handed the maximum penalty by the regulator – $13,320 – after it broadcast a gambling advert at 10:38am on 7plus during a live stream of an NFL American Football game. 

The authority has stated that gambling promotions cannot be shown during live streams of sporting events between 5am and 8:30pm, including the five minutes before and after a game.

The breach follows the ACMA ‘publishing a formal warning to Seven in October 2022 for a similar incident’.

In response to the investigation, Seven noted that the streaming of the ad was ‘an isolated event’ and that additional mitigation measures have been implemented to stop it from happening in the future, including additional oversight and training.

Commenting on the case, ACMA Chair, Nerida O’Loughlin, said: “The ACMA expects broadcasters to have robust systems and processes and associated assurance mechanisms in place to support compliance with these laws.

“Seven has told us that the measures it has in place are adequate to ensure future compliance and it does not need to do more. Following repeated breaches by Seven, we will continue to closely monitor their compliance with the rules to make sure that is the case.”