The Australian Football League (AFL) Fans Association have called on the country’s Government and sporting code to gradually tackle the massive number of gambling adverts aired on match days, which have been targeting children.
Families who watch the AFL have urged local lawmakers to introduce further protection measures to prevent gambling operators from “grooming” their children by luring them into gambling through a large number of advertisements aired on match days. Now, the Federal Government and the sporting code of Australia are facing growing calls to reform gambling advertising laws after a federal parliamentary committee recently released a report containing 31 recommendations.
As Casino Guardian previously reported, one of the main recommendations involved a gradual reduction of gambling adverts over a three-year period before the practice is fully banned in the country.
The President of the AFL Fan Association Ron Issko shared that football fans in the country have been tired of seeking gambling companies infiltrating not only stadiums but also their homes on match days. He further noted that gambling is getting more and more normalised among younger audiences – a trend that makes children think that football and gambling are connected and betting on football is part of the game and everyone does it.
Mr Issko explained that the Fan Association is not against gambling but it calls for stricter measures against gambling adverts, as they are used to groom both children and adults through the growing normalisation of the practise.
Gambling Companies Blamed for Grooming Australian Children with Excessive Advertising
A survey that the AFL Fan Association conducted among 3,000 Australian Football League fans earlier in 2023 found that 76% of the participants backed a blanket ban on gambling advertising on TV and radio channels, while 79% of participants wanted to see gambling adverts suspended from stadiums across the country.
The Association’s president shared that the organisation was fully aware of the fact that it was impossible for the Government to immediately suspend gambling ads in the country because of the existing multi-year deals inked between some clubs and sportsbook operators. What he suggested was a gradual approach that would wind back the controversial commercials more smoothly.
According to Mr Issko, the competent authorities should immediately intervene to help improve some major Association complaints that Australian children are being exposed to gambling while watching matches of their favourite teams. He believes that the most realistic “overnight” step would be the implementation of some limits on the number of gambling adverts so that underage individuals were not exposed to it, or at least not that much.
The claims of the AFL Fan Association are fully in line with some findings of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, which has issued a report claiming that betting was eroding sports for many local families. This trend caused a significant level of concern regarding the relationship between gambling operators, sports coverage and Australian sporting teams.
Gillon McLachlan, the CEO of the Australian Football League, has warned that the implementation of a sudden gambling advertising ban could have an extremely negative impact on the game, which is why he asked the competent authorities to find the right balance and unveil a measured approach to tackle the effects of gambling ads on sports fans across the country.
Currently, gambling operators provide the Australian Football League with additional funding as sponsorship money, plus a portion of gambling turnover on AFL matches which, according to Mr Issko, could be worth between AU$30 and AU$40 million annually.
- Author
Daniel Williams
