The Issue

Gambling advertising is becoming the norm when watching sports. This is contributing to the increase in sports betting, especially in young men (18-24 years).

Neilson research shows an average of 148 gambling ads were broadcast on free-to-air TV between 6:00pm and 8:30pm every weeknight in 2021.

That’s 1 gambling ad being played every minute.

Anglicare Tasmania’s Gamblers Help Service found that 90% of Tasmanian online gamblers who sought assistance were under 45 and almost half were under 25.  The Gamblers Help service has observed an increase in the number and proportion of people seeking help as a result of sports betting and other online gambling in recent years.

We’re starting to see…young adult men getting into significant debt in the years after turning 18. Some of our clients have betting debts of $20,000 in their early 20s.

Gamblers Help Counsellor

I would like to see one of those powerful ads where AFL, the AFL community  band together to take action…

Participant, 12 years old

In 2014, the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation launched the Love the Game Sporting Club Program in response to concerns about the convergence of sport and gambling.  It has been successful in working with more than 500 Victorian community, and elite, spring clubs and bodies to raise awareness of gambling harm and counter the normalisation of gambling in sports.

Anglicare Tasmania is partnering with the Tasmanian State Government to create a similar program in Tasmania with the Get into the Game Program.