Australia’s media regulator has found that SBS broke gambling advertising rules when it carried a Crown Resorts commercial during live coverage of the 2025 Tour de France.
The decision, completed on March 31, 2026, focused on a 30-second Crown Sydney advertisement shown during the cycling broadcast. ACMA determined the commercial amounted to gambling advertising and was screened during a period when such promotions were not permitted.
A Crown Sydney advertisement that largely showcased restaurants, accommodation and entertainment experiences appeared to air during the time. The commercial ended, however, with the description: “Sydney’s premier casino resort.” Viewers in the Sydney market saw the advertisement during SBS coverage of the Tour de France in July 2025.
Tour de France Crown Sydney ad crossed line under live sport gambling rules
ACMA said the Tour de France met the definition of a Long Form Live Sporting Event under the applicable industry framework. Under those restrictions, gambling advertisements may only appear before play, during scheduled or unscheduled breaks, or after play between 8.30pm and 5am.
According to the regulator, the Crown advertisement containing the “casino resort” wording could not rely on an exemption available to venues that offer gambling alongside dining and entertainment. ACMA concluded the commercial drew attention to gambling in a way that directly promoted its availability.
“The mention of ‘casino’ immediately focuses the mind of the viewer on the casino (gambling) activities provided by Crown,” the ACMA said in its report.
The authority said the wording encouraged viewers to regard gambling as another activity offered at the venue. Because of that, it fell outside the exemption.
ACMA contrasted the Sydney version with two other Crown advertisements broadcast during the event. One advertisement used in other markets did not include the “casino resort” phrase, while another consisted of sponsorship references connected to SBS’s Tour de France companion program, Plat du Tour. Those advertisements were found to comply with the rules.
SBS pushed back strongly during the investigation. In a submission dated January 30, 2026, the broadcaster argued the commercial was “unambiguously focused on culinary, hospitality and accommodation experiences” and contained “no gambling imagery, language or behavioural prompts”.
“The visuals consist exclusively of dining experiences, food preparation, accommodation and entertainment amenities at Crown,” SBS told the regulator, adding that there were no depictions of gaming floors, betting interfaces, table games or gambling-related language.
The broadcaster also maintained that “casino resort” was simply an accurate description of a mixed-use venue. SBS further argued that responsible gambling messaging and assumptions about public perceptions of the Crown brand should not determine whether an advertisement qualified for the exemption.
ACMA rejected those arguments. It said a reasonable viewer would associate Crown with gambling and that describing the venue as a “casino resort” pointed to gambling services. The regulator added that alternative wording, such as “hotel resort”, could have been used if the intention was to promote accommodation and entertainment alone.
The finding concluded that SBS breached clause 3.4 of Appendix 3 of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice. The investigation began after ACMA monitoring of Tour de France coverage identified the advertisement.
Featured image: fanglan via WikiCommons / CC BY 2.0 / Canva
The post ACMA rules SBS breached gambling ad restrictions during Tour de France coverage ruling appeared first on ReadWrite.