The ACT government is considering how to limit adverts promoting gambling in the territory.
Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said he was "considering and consulting on steps we can take in the ACT" to limit "pervasive and damaging" adverts which promote gambling.
His statement came as independent ACT senator David Pocock called for "nothing short of a complete ban on gambling advertising".
"This extends to advertising in stadiums and on players jerseys," Senator Pocock said. "This is something the ACT government could take action on immediately and I urge them to do that."
The pressure on the ACT government to take tougher action on gambling advertising comes as the federal government considers whether to implement such a ban at a national level.
Senator Pocock suspects that it is now reluctant to do so.
Can the ACT get a step ahead?
In the absence of federal legislation, the ACT's Attorney-General was looking at local options.
He accepted that the powers of the territory government were limited so "it would be far preferable to see a comprehensive response from the Commonwealth government" - but local options were being considered.
One proposal was to implement similar rules to those in South Australia where there is a ban on TV gambling adverts in the evening when children were watching.
The ACT government provides funding for all elite Canberra teams, including the Canberra Raiders, ACT Brumbies, Canberra Capitals, Canberra United, Canberra Calvary and even the GWS Giants.
But it's unclear if the ACT government could or would make advert-free jerseys a condition for getting the cash. Even if that were done, there would be no power to impose any ban of gambling logos on visiting teams' shirts.
Mr Rattenbury, who is a Greens MLA, has been at odds with Labor members of the ACT government over how to reduce "gambling harm".
He has wanted tougher action on poker machines in clubs, for example. And he has accused Labor of being "impossibly compromised" by the flow of poker machine revenue from clubs.
You may get a phone call about gambling
The heightened debate comes as the biggest piece of research into the gambling habits of Canberrans gets under way.
Tens of thousands of people in the ACT have been or will be cold-called and asked about how gambling affects them.
From the 50,000 to 60,000 Canberrans to be called, 10,000 will be chosen for follow-up questions in a deep dive into the harm (or pleasure) the different forms of gambling cause. The resulting 2024 Survey on Gambling in the ACT is to be published in the middle of next year.
At the end of it, the researchers from the Central Queensland University's Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory will quantify how much "gambling harm" there is in the ACT, and who suffers it most based on sex and age.
The head of the research, Matthew Rockloff, said a "quantum of misery" from gambling in the ACT could be calculated. By such a tight method, the degree of harm to people's lives from gambling could be compared with that from alcohol or drugs or even diseases.
The study by CQU has been commissioned by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission.
One of the fears is that during the pandemic lockdowns, people discovered new ways of betting.
"We know lockdowns and venue closures temporarily reduced access to high-risk gambling products like poker machines and sports betting shops," Professor Rockloff said.
"In that time, gamblers may have experimented with non-traditional methods, for instance online casinos, virtual pokies, or international sports betting."
Gambling has risen up the political agenda in the ACT as the elections approach because of the suicide of Raimo "Ray" Kasurinen on March 31, 2020. He had lost thousands of dollars on poker machines at the Hellenic Club.
Four years later, an inquiry by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission still hasn't been completed, much to the anger of Mr Kasurinen's family.
On top of that, some residents in Jerrabomberra are opposing a plan for a large Vikings club just outside the ACT, and so outside the ACT's laws.
