The AFL Fan Association (AFLFA) says the football community is fully supportive of a ban on gambling advertisements and has urged the federal government not to delay any action for three years.
A federal parliamentary committee has recommended gambling ads be banned after a three-year transition period, but crossbench MPs have urged the federal government to act swiftly given the harm posed by wagering.
Earlier this year, an AFLFA survey of 3,000 fans found 76% would support a blanket ban on gambling advertisements on television and radio while 79% supported a ban on promotions at stadiums. It found 67% agreed AFL clubs should not receive money from poker machines or gambling advertisements.
The AFLFA president, Ron Issko, said gambling ads were the most common concern of fans and that while an immediate ban may not be practical, waiting three years for any action would not be accepted by many fans.
“I am hoping there are little changes made along the way and so that by the time we get to three years, it is completely gone,” Issko said.
“For them to lose that revenue overnight will realistically result in a big hole in their budget. There needs to be dialogue and discussion about slowly reducing the number of ads and a gradual way to ban it.”
The AFL chief executive, Gillon McLachlan, has previously criticised the volume of gambling inducements associated with the sport but lobbied against a blanket ban when he appeared before the inquiry in April.
“We support a considered, balanced regulatory approach that addresses the issues raised in online gambling advertising that are set out in various submissions to this inquiry,” McLachlan said.
“We ask that the committee consider, however, the unintended consequences that may arise from the prohibition or overregulation on sports betting advertising and the potential to materially increase the integrity risks that may come from pushing gambling underground or offshore to unregulated markets.”
In a statement released after the inquiry’s recommendation was made, an AFL spokesperson also raised potential impacts on ticket prices and funding for integrity initiatives.
“We look forward to working closely with the government to identify and mitigate any potential unintended consequences as it develops its response to the committee’s recommendations,” the spokesperson said.
Many gambling companies have criticised the recommended ban as an overreaction including the biggest bookmaker, Sportsbet.
“We believe an approach that significantly reduces the number of ads rather than complete bans would respond to community concerns, while still supporting sport and media,” the Sportsbet CEO, Barni Evans, said.
Palmerbet’s head of regulation and compliance, Mitch Reid, said the blanket ban was “impetuous, brash and short-sighted”.
Independent MP Zoe Daniel, who has been calling on the AFL to sever its ties with the gambling industry, said a three-year transition period was not necessary.
“Any argument that gambling revenue supports sport and is therefore sacrosanct does not stack up. A business model that relies on causing harm to people, especially children, by exploiting their love of sport, is flawed,” Daniel wrote in an opinion piece for Guardian Australia.
Several high-profile players including Collingwood captain Darcy Moore have expressed concern about the volume of gambling advertisements in recent years, citing the exposure of children to wagering odds.
Many AFL clubs have also turned their backs on gambling revenue with all Victorian teams partnering with the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation’s (VRGF) “love the game, not the odds” program, which educates children on the dangers of gambling.
“Addressing the normalisation of gambling, especially sports betting, is a foundation priority that reflects growing community concern about the impact on young people,” a VRGF spokesperson said.
“Saturation levels of gambling advertising, sophisticated marketing strategies and inducements such as cashback offers and multibets encourage risky betting and are associated with high levels of harm, and have led to 18-24-year-old men becoming the largest group of sports bettors in Victoria.”
