Gambling is the problem, not the advertisements, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says, as pressure mounts on his government for an ad ban.

Albanese continues to rebuff calls for the federal government to carry on the legacy of Labor’s late anti-gambling advocate Peta Murphy and ban gambling ads.

Instead, on Thursday he insisted a blanket prohibition was not the “bold” move others claimed it was.

“The problem isn’t advertising, the problem is gambling,” he told ABC radio on Thursday.

“The easy option is just to [ban ads] and not worry about the consequences for sporting codes, junior sport, the media.”

Australians lose about $25 billion gambling every year, making them the biggest losers in the world on a per capita basis.

However, Albanese noted lotteries and scratchies were the most common gambling products, with 64 per cent of Australian adults participating in 2022.

That compares to the 38 per cent who bet on horse races and the 33 per cent who placed wagers on sports, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data.

“I haven’t seen a campaign about advertising lotteries – which is a far bigger problem than sports gambling,” Albanese said.

The Labor government has previously considered a partial ban on gambling ads, although experts warned that it might not be enough to reduce harm.

In August, Albanese said the status quo on ads was “completely unacceptable” and vowed further reforms.

on Thursday, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young accused Albanese of walking back his position even further with his latest comments.

“He’s dead wrong and it is extremely disappointing to see him backtracking,” she said in Canberra.

“The single most important thing we should do is stop the gambling industry from being able to advertise, just like we’ve done with tobacco, and just like we do on other issues.

“If the Prime Minister cares about community sport, he should fund community sport; hiding behind limp excuses created and parroted by the gambling lobby is not leadership.”

The Greens plan to introduce Senate legislation to ban gambling advertising across the board.

“We can debate this bill, we can get the laws changed and we can make it happen,” Hanson-Young said.

“The Prime Minister doesn’t have the guts to act.”

-AAP