The ACT government-owned betting agency had lost ground to corporate bookmakers since deregulation of the industry and Mr Curtis said he thought measures to stop live odds being broadcast during play could help it gain some of it back.

The Gillard government said on Sunday that it would ban the spruiking of live odds, two years after it had promised to crack down on the controversial form of betting.

But the NSW government is calling for a blanket ban on gambling advertising during live sports events, as well as a crackdown on online betting, saying Prime Minister Julia Gillard's reforms are ''far too little''.

NSW Gaming Minister George Souris said he and Sport Minister Graham Annesley had been seeking federal government action since a meeting of the COAG select council on gambling reform two years ago.

''I do not believe it is enough to only ban live odds spruiking during broadcasts, but allow generic advertisements for corporate bookies during breaks in those broadcasts,'' Mr Souris said. ''I am calling for a total ban.''

In the face of public and media pressure, led by Fairfax Media, Ms Gillard announced on Sunday the government would demand that TV and radio networks ban the promotion of live odds during matches. But it has stopped short of banning gambling ads during matches - saying they may only be broadcast during scheduled breaks in play such as half-time in football and tea breaks in cricket, and not during play.

The announcement comes nearly two years after the federal government first put bookmakers on notice - telling them they had until June 2012 to limit the promotion of live odds during sport broadcasts or the government would introduce laws to stop them.

Within hours of Ms Gillard's announcement, the television and gambling industries had agreed to her demands.

Under the new restrictions, TV and radio broadcasters would be banned from promoting odds during matches, ''from the moment that the players step onto the field to the moment that they leave the field'', Ms Gillard said. All sports except horse, harness and greyhound racing are covered by the ban.

Mr Curtis welcomed Ms Gillard's decision and said advertising had ''gone too far'' and was ''constantly in your face''. He said the ban would have little impact on ACTTAB because it didn't do much advertising of live odds, except during games at Canberra Stadium.

''We've tended to be rather

restrained with our advertising and marketing of live odds,'' he told The Canberra Times.

''It'll probably impact us favourably in it will aid in arresting that decline in turnover that we've seen.''

But critics pointed to loopholes that remain and some described the new rules as a half-finished job. The rules still allow live crosses to gambling representatives during breaks in play. The only change is that the bookmakers must be ''clearly identified'' and cannot be filmed at the venue.

Professor Samantha Thomas, of the University of Wollongong, studies the effects of marketing on gambling behaviour. She said it was concerning that live odds could still be flashed on electronic screens in stadiums, which end up ''transferring gambling into the living room whether you like it or not''.

Anti-gambling campaigners in Federal Parliament, including Labor MP Stephen Jones, the Greens and independent Senator Nick Xenophon, wanted gambling advertising banned during children's viewing hours. Mr Jones and the Greens had drafted bills to that effect and Senator Xenophon wondered ''why on earth won't the government go further to address this issue?''

Ms Gillard said the government had considered a total ban on gambling advertising during broadcasts, but felt the proposed changes went far enough.

''The proposal we're announcing today, we believe, gets the balance right,'' Ms Gillard said.

In a statement released almost immediately after the Prime Minister's news conference, the country's broadcasters announced that they had accepted her demands. ''These are unprecedented restrictions for broadcasters but we accept the government has acted in response to community concern,'' FreeTV chief executive Julie Flynn said.

Even the Australian Wagering Council, whose members include tomwaterhouse.com, accepted the proposal, saying they understood there were ''broad community concerns'' and they did ''not want children talking about gambling odds''. with Jacqueline Maley