UK and international news publisher Guardian Media Group is putting its ad revenue where its mouth is with a ban on gambling ads.

And in Australia, where Guardian Australia editor-in-chief Lenore Taylor says locals lose more on gambling per capita than any other country and the harms of addiction are well documented, the news website “will now be able to report on the unfolding debate about gambling harm in this country certain that we are not contributing to the problem”.

Taylor says readers have told her that they want to read sports coverage “without being assailed by wagering ads”, and will no longer accept them. “We want to end any reliance on gambling revenue, particularly as we report on the mounting demands for sporting codes and broadcasters to reconsider their dependency”.

“For many codes, and many media outlets, revenue from gambling ads and promotions has become an addiction,” she says. “Almost $300 million was spent on gambling advertising in Australia in 2021.”

Guardian Australia reports research by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Association that there were 948 gambling ads a day on free-to-air TV in the state in 2021, although broadcasters’ body Free TV says the most a viewer could see is 158.

“It’s a highly profitable business, because, as the new government-mandated warning on gambling ads tells us, ‘chances are you’re about to lose’. Australians’ losses on legal gambling in 2021 were estimated at $25 billion, more per capita than citizens of any other country.

Taylor says many countries have banned gambling advertising altogether, “and the pressure for change in Australia is now intense”.

The Guardian’s global policy to reject all forms of gambling advertising other than lotteries, “means Guardian Australia will now be able to report on the unfolding debate about gambling harm in this country certain that we are not contributing to the problem”.

Globally, the ban will apply to all its online and print outlets including the Observer and Guardian Weekly.

Chief executive Guardian Media Group Anna Bateson said their journalists had reported on “the devastating impact of the gambling industry in the UK and Australia, helping to shift the dial and ensure the issue remains high on the public agenda.

“Ultimately, we believe that our primary obligation is to do the right thing for our readers,” she said.

The Guardian already has a ban on adverts from fossil fuel companies, which has been place since 2020.