LIKE many Australians, I enjoy a punt.
But when I sit down to watch sport with my children, I’m concerned by the barrage of sports betting advertising being blasted across our living room.
My seven year-old son already understands odds, multis and who is favourite, as online bookmakers report it as if it’s news.
And he laughs along as big NBA star Shaquille O’Neil, the face of Pointsbet, takes the mickey out of silly Aussie blokes, you know people like me, having a bit of seemingly harmless fun.
As Natalie Wright, director of the Office of Responsible Gambling, said: “We’re seeing sports betting advertising in almost every aspect of sport, which sends a message that betting is part and parcel of enjoying sport.”
According to Nielsen Research, the gambling industry spent $287.2 million on advertising in Australia in 2021, up from $89.7 million in 2011. This excludes in-stadium advertising or sponsorships.
We are being saturated with it.
Consider this: In Victoria last year, Nielsen research found an average of 948 gambling ads were broadcast daily on free-to-air TV, an increase from 374 ads each day in 2016. An average of 148 gambling ads were broadcast on free-to-air TV between 6-8.30pm every weeknight, during the primetime family viewing slot.
The proliferation of sports betting advertising on broadcast and digital media is a rising community concern, particularly its effect on young people.
Yet it is allowed to continue.
In contrast, pokies is treated very differently, with mass media pokies advertising banned in Victoria.
It’s a strange one, seemingly saying one form of gambling is worse than the other?
Online sports betting also seems to have escaped major gambling reforms that were released by the NSW Government this week.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has pledged to make every poker machine cashless by the end of 2028 if the Coalition secures a victory at next month’s election.
He also said he welcomed bipartisan co-operation from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who is facing pressure to consider cashless gaming reform in Victoria.
Under the NSW reforms, players will be able to set their own daily spend limit which cannot be increased for seven days.
Automatic top-ups will also be prohibited and funds can only be transferred from debit – and not credit – accounts.
Interest-free loans will also available to help small and medium venues in transitioning to cashless technology, with $40 million put aside for regional pubs and clubs to help offset the hit to their own profits.
Pub and club owners point out that while they support responsible gambling, there are no such restrictions on how much punters spend on their online sports betting accounts.
They can have multiple accounts, all offering them incentives and bonuses to keep on punting.
It’s not just the advertising seducing punters day and night, it’s also constant text messages and emails with the latest offers.
While any reform by governments to help curb problem gambling is welcomed, online bookmakers continue to cash in, pretty much unchecked.
Announced by the Federal Government late last year, the only change hitting online bookmakers this footy season will be a slight tweak to the tagline at the end of their ads.“Gamble responsibly” has been benched and online bookmakers will instead be required to include a range of evidence-backed alternatives such as “Chances are you’re about to lose” and “What’s gambling really costing you?” with their ads across TV, radio, print media, websites and apps.
It’s a small step that may eventually see gambling advertising going the way of tobacco and alcohol.
Odds are that may help curb a growing problem.
