Even kids want gambling ads banned, so why won't the government do it?

Gambling advertising and Australian sport have a symbiotic relationship despite the majority of Australians supporting a total ban. (ABC News: Stephen Cavenagh)

Last week, on a brisk Canberra afternoon, ACT Brumbies fans gathered to watch the Super Rugby match against Moana Pasifika.

On their way into the stadium, one fan summed up his views on the gambling industry.

Pervasive, omnipresent, and (crucially) effective, gambling advertising and Australian sport have a symbiotic relationship.

But recent polling commissioned by the Australia Institute and conducted by YouGov showed 77 per cent of respondents supported a total ban on the ads.

And a Deakin University survey of children in New South Wales and Victoria about sport's reliance on gambling ad revenue backed up that national polling.

"People are going to … think of you as paid off. They're not gonna want to watch anymore because you seem too fake," a 15-year-old boy told researchers.

"You're influencing people from a young age, like, corrupting their mind … I'm 13, I shouldn't need to be worrying about gambling," a 13-year-old girl told the researchers.

Led by public health expert Samantha Thomas, the survey spoke with 64 children between the ages of 12 and 17.

"They understand sporting codes and the broadcasters [are] influencing the government to make decisions, which are not in the best interests of young people.

"I think the public is fed up … this is why we see such a huge number of parents and young people who are now saying 'it's enough'".

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The federal government has said it is "proud" of its proposed changes to regulations for the multi-billion-dollar gambling industry.

According to its own analysis, Australians are exposed to billions of gambling ads online each year.

Anthony Albanese announced the new gambling ad reforms at the National Press Club in early April. (ABC News: Dan Sweetapple)

"We're taking action when it comes to problem gambling, more than any government in Australian history has," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in Question Time this week.

But the government's proposed changes have faced widespread criticism, most notably because they do not include a total ban on gambling advertising.

Instead, the changes would introduce time-of-day restrictions (some of which are already in place), limits to the number of ads per hour, and the phasing out of shirt and in-stadium sponsors.

The bill would also ban online ads for users aged under 18 and requir