Spotify has temporarily suspended gambling advertisements in Australia following reports of Sportsbet ads playing between children's songs. The issue came to light when a father reported hearing gambling 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 highlighted concerns about ad placement near children's content. The father noted that these ads appeared during playback of popular children's content, including songs from Moana, Frozen, Wiggles, and Bluey.

Sportsbet has responded by pausing their advertising on Spotify while the issue is investigated. Their spokesperson emphasized that their advertising typically includes age-gating measures and excludes children's content.

Recent research published in Health Promotion International reveals significant parental concern about gambling advertisements:

• 70% of parents expressed at least slight concern
• 27.7% reported being "extremely" concerned about gambling ad prevalence

Professor Samantha Thomas from Deakin University advocates for a complete ban on gambling advertising, similar to tobacco advertising restrictions. The issue has prompted calls for new legislation, with suggestions to implement gambling ad bans as early as next year.

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