Gambling has overtaken telecommunications to become Austalia’s fourth biggest industry in terms of advertising spending.

Figures compiled by Nielsen AdEx show Australian gambling companies spent $147m on advertising this year, enough to knock telecom firms back to fifth place. Only the food, finance and automobile sectors reported higher ad spending.

The figure represents a 326% increase since 2012, when Aussie betting and gambling firms spent a mere $45m pimping their wares. The growth is at least partly attributable to the entry of new companies into the market, including European betting brands such as Ladbrokes, William Hill and Bet365, which has heightened competition and the need to shout louder to make one’s brand stand out from the herd.

However, this year’s figure actually represents a step back from 2014’s high-water mark of $149.4m, which may reflect the reduced role that Tom Waterhouse has taken since his site was acquired and absorbed by William Hill, leading to a significantly lower public profile for young Tom.