Australian sports streaming service Kayo has been issued with a formal warning by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for breaching gambling advertising rules.
ACMA said Wednesday that Kayo contravened the rules by showing gambling advertisements an AFL match between Fremantle and Collingwood in May 2022.
Under Australian broadcasting rules, gambling ads must not be streamed during live sport events between 5am and 8.30pm, including the five minutes before and after the event. However, Kayo was found to have streamed gambling promotions within five minutes before play commenced and during scheduled breaks.
“Streaming services need to comply with the rules in the same way traditional television broadcasters do,” said ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin.
“Gambling advertising during live sport is a major concern for Australians. Families want to watch live sport without needing to worry that children may come to think of gambling as a part of the game.”
According to ACMA, Kayo has since implemented live production testing and technical enhancements to the processes and software it uses to schedule advertising.