Sportsbet has temporarily suspended its advertising on Spotify after reports emerged of gambling ads playing between children's songs in Australia. The issue came to light when a father reported hearing Sportsbet advertisements while playing Disney songs for his children on his personal account.

While Spotify maintains that gambling ads are only targeted to users aged 18 and above, this incident has raised significant concerns about ad placement near children's content. The father reported hearing these ads between songs from popular children's content like Moana, Frozen, Bluey, and The Wiggles.

The concerned parent called for Spotify to implement an opt-out feature for gambling advertisements, particularly noting Australia's federal ban on social media for users under 16. He emphasized the risk of normalizing gambling behavior among impressionable young minds.

Sportsbet responded by immediately pausing their Spotify advertising campaign. A company spokesperson stated: "Sportsbet's advertising on Spotify and all social media channels uses age-gating measures, and excludes kids and family content as an additional control. We are disappointed this has happened and have paused advertising on Spotify while the issue is rectified."

Recent research highlights broader parental concerns about gambling advertisements:

• A study of 455 Australian parents found 70% expressed concern about gambling ad prevalence
• 27.7% were "extremely" concerned
• 12.7% were "slightly" concerned

Professor Samantha Thomas from Deakin University advocates for a comprehensive ban on gambling advertising, similar to tobacco advertising restrictions. The Australian federal government is facing increasing pressure to introduce legislation banning gambling ads as early as next year.

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