Addictive, dangerous, out of control. Yet Labor lets betting giants win again

Never pick a fight with anyone who buys ink by the barrel and paper by the ton.

This, now rather antiquated quote, often attributed to Mark Twain was a warning about the power of the then newspaper barons.

While the technology has changed, the media barons of Australia still wield unholy power in the Australian political landscape today.

It is why the Albanese government has agonised for more than year over the recommendations of the Murphy Report, 31 recommendations that come from a parliamentary inquiry chaired by one of their very own, Peta Murphy who lost her battle with cancer last year.

A key recommendation was the complete ban on all gambling ads to be phased in over three years. This is not unlike the approach the nation took with tobacco advertising decades ago.

But with an election on the horizon the government is nervous and it has been lobbied furiously by the gambling industry, media networks and the major sporting codes who have all entwined themselves to line their pockets and bombard us with endless gambling ads across our screens.

News reports on the weekend that the government was seeking a compromise in which advertising would be banned one hour before and after live sport are weak and ill conceived.

Tinkering with ad "strictions" have shown to be ineffective, rule changes in 2017 to restrict gambling advertising saw the total volume of gambling advertising in primetime spots on metro television increase by 40 per cent.

And while a reported proposal to ban gambling advertising on social media and other platforms could be extremely significant, the details are vague and the devil lurks in the details.

It is clearly a compromise plan to appease these powerful interests. There were also reports television executives were demanding $40 million in compensation for lost advertising revenue.

But our political leaders should be more concerned about the white hot anger that exists in the community around the proliferation of gambling ads that have swamped our screens and virtually consumed coverage of our major sporting codes.

Studies show that seven in 10 Australians believe there are too many betting advertisements, and that gambling advertising on television should be banned.

Parents in particular are fearful and angry about their children's vulnerability to gambling advertising. Parents are angry that they can't protect their kids. And they have reason to be concerned.

There is a twin threat - the proliferation of gambling ads embedded in our sporting codes and there is the secret grooming of our kids through social media.

The Murphy Report itself found that the "inescapable torrent" of gambling advertising is normalising online gambling and its links with sport, grooming children and young people to gamble, and encouraging riskier behaviour.

Now kids are just as likely to know the odds on a sporting contest than they are their favourite player. And parents of young teens are being forced to explain the intricacies of a multi bet.

The number of people sports betting has exploded, doubling in just five years. More than one third of all spending on sports betting now comes from people with a gambling problem.

Alarmingly there is also strong evidence that gambling companies are now grooming our kids by targeting children as young as 14 through social media and encouraging them to download gambling apps.

These are the results of a recent pilot study commissioned by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education that analysed screen recordings from young people's online activity and found ads for gambling, junk food and alcohol.

Not only should our political leaders fear the electorate today, the social impact of Australia's horrendous gambling losses is not only costing the economy billions we are set to reap a whirlwind of agony as a new generation of gamblers get hooked.

Australia currently loses $25 billion to gambling every year. You simply cannot rip that much out of our communities during a cost of living crisis and not cause devastating social harm.

Studies show that gambling causes not only financial hardship but also health and mental health problems, elevated partner violence, marriage breakup and as many as 20 per cent of all suicides in Australia.

If voters are angry today, this anger will only grow. It will be heard at the ballot box.

The government must enact all of the 31 recommendations of the Murphy Report. And it should reach out to the opposition and seek bipartisan support for these changes. There is certainly many in the parliament who want to back these changes.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has expressed his concern about gambling advertising in the past and has backed initiatives for stronger regulation. And a bipartisan approach would nullify the power of the media barons as we approach the next election.

Gambling advertising in Australia is out of control with 1 million gambling ads being aired on free-to-air television and radio in just one year.

It is time for our political leaders to act for the good of all Australians not the lobbyists and vested interests.