The AFL Should Ban Gambling Advertising At Games and During AFL Broadcasts

[McKayCurnowGoal]

One close friend of mine is general counsel at a large online betting mob, they pay around abouts $250-300k a week to the AFL in "royalties", depends on the round and the betting interest that's been generated. Thats just one agency, so do your own speculative sums.

Will be even more when the new broadcast rights deals are negotiated, what they get now is just the "not quite under the table but keep it hush hush" money

$300k per week is about $8m a year (including finals). There would be no more than 5 betting agencies with the clientele to afford that so you are talking $40m a year. That is the revenue of a club. So basically betting supports 1 of 18 clubs. Though of course this ignores TV advertising. Pretty sure Channel 7 isn't paying $1b for tv rights if gambling advertisements are banned.

So those that want to ban gambling advertising - are you happy to pay a subscription fee for the footy?

 

[OffTheBit]

Get over it.

There’s a dozen more disturbing issues ruining society that need far more attention than stupid gambling ads.

Yell from the top of your soapbox all you like. It won’t make the slightest difference.

There’s too much money involved.

Lots of money.

It’s the way the world is in big business and always has been.

And make no mistake...the Australian Football League is very big business indeed.

Now..bombers are paying $3.70 under 39 tomorrow night.

Get on it.

They'd love blokes like you.. nice bet haha

 

[quotemokc]

Could be worse

 

[Kappa]

One thing I've never understood is why don't they raise the legal age for gambling / smoking to 20 or 21... Most 18 year Olds are not responsible enough to handle these things and get influenced too easily.

 

[Hobbes]

It is a legal product. Why should advertising be banned? Slippery slope if we let Government dictate what information we can and can't receive.

Plenty of legal products are reasonably subject to advertising restrictions. What is your point?

 

[Evolved1]

I personally don't have an issue with gambling and I see the advertising as much as any other. The issue isn't the advertising, it's peoples inability for self control, if we punished companies for taking advantage of people that have issues with addiction then gambling isn't the only culprit there..

The gambling industry relies on predatory tactics that involve taking advantage of those who lack self control.
I agree they're not the only culprit, but they're one of the worst.

Anyone who likes to bet, including me, knows how to find betting agencies without them being advertised in every sports broadcast.

 

[Shane Heard]

They'd love blokes like you.. nice bet haha

I was being sarcastic you nimrod.

I don’t bet. Betting is for suckers and fools.

 

[Evolved1]

I was being sarcastic you nimrod.

I don’t bet. Betting is for suckers and fools.

My sports betting forms part of my investment portfolio.

Always bet against Essendon when they're favourites and the Aussie cricket team whenever they play tests in Asia. The long term ROI has been great.

 

[rumply]

Dude, they aren’t running drug cartels, they're legitimate businesses that you know have big staff numbers in this country, pay tax etc.

We might have to agree to disagree on this one.

Legit business, lol. They have no place in this country & wouldn't have if it wasn't for the greed & short-sightedness of the NT Govt.

I'll repeat - they are foreign owned entities that syphon large sums of money out of the Aus economy year after year, leaving behind what? Nothing, Nada, zilch. This is not in dispute.

But a new car, yes, profits disappear overseas as well but an asset remains, it gets serviced, repaired, refulled, resold. It's existence provides an ongoing level of benefit to our local economy.

Smoke a cigarette, bet with a corporate bookmaker, what's left behind? At best a smokers cough & less financial wealth for both yourself & the community you live in. Both can take a hike.

 

[HolyWars]

I’d get rid of all advertising aside from at racetracks and on racing telecasts (and that advertising must feature racing, not sport).

Mind you, id also get rid of pokies because it’s 20x the problem and the kicker... it’s literally not even gambling. It a computer, programmed to take x% of your money.

But we (well Victoria at least) are completely hooked on pokies. You can’t switch them off overnight because of the venues that live off them (providing a lot of employment) and the amount of tax they generate. It’s now going to take probably a 20 year plan to phase them out. No government has the balls to do it.

It doesn't matter if it's a computer program generating the scenario, if money is used to try and win cash/items based on chance/luck, it's gambling. The same way paid loot boxes in games is gambling.

 

[juss]

It is a legal product. Why should advertising be banned? Slippery slope if we let Government dictate what information we can and can't receive.

It should not be the front of every broadcast analysis or radio analysis.
It's ridiculous that it is so thoroughly a part of pregame/halftime talk about the game.

There's a difference between talking about a team as heavy favourites and likely to win and then having someone in your face telling you to multi Jetta for most goals into Gaff for 30+ into Eagles 1-39. Absolutely no need for it and it should not be tied so closely with the enjoyment of the game.

I say this as a regular punter myself. We all know we can do it and where and how. No need to have it constantly paraded.

Corporate bookies are scum. Their business model revolves around semi-addicts or full addicts losing money and sucking them back with promotions. They literally ban winning customers with account or promo bans. It doesnt have to be enormous sums either, if they think you have a winning profile you are banned, but they will happily take your losing bets for decades. They are absolute dirt.

At least exchanges like Betfair are just an exchange service, they take a small service commission but the betting is between two individuals who set their own back and lay prices and it's a fair bet between individuals. No one is banned for winning, there is no edge advantage to the bookie.

 

[Lex22]

Legit business, lol. They have no place in this country & wouldn't have if it wasn't for the greed & short-sightedness of the NT Govt.

I'll repeat - they are foreign owned entities that syphon large sums of money out of the Aus economy year after year, leaving behind what? Nothing, Nada, zilch. This is not in dispute.

But a new car, yes, profits disappear overseas as well but an asset remains, it gets serviced, repaired, refulled, resold. It's existence provides an ongoing level of benefit to our local economy.

Smoke a cigarette, bet with a corporate bookmaker, what's left behind? At best a smokers cough & less financial wealth for both yourself & the community you live in. Both can take a hike.

Thats simply a flawed and mostly incorrect view, but yeah whatever, move on.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Why is 18 the magical number to be classified as an adult.

Well gotta draw a line somewhere.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Yeah I'd probably support it, but tbh don't feel as strongly as you. Heck what about alcohol or fast food advertising? They're also harmful to society. I do find it ironic how KFC, Maccas, HJs etc are big sponsors in sport lol.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

One thing I've never understood is why don't they raise the legal age for gambling / smoking to 20 or 21... Most 18 year Olds are not responsible enough to handle these things and get influenced too easily.

That’s because for the last 20 years we keep calling them kids until they are about 24. I stopped being a kid when I was about 16-18. Times have just changed that’s all.
Not impossible but the league age for drinking could be changed but it would be difficult.
I don’t smoke but smoking is the least of society’s problems, if governments and the people put the same focus they do with smoking into getting people off drugs we might be a lot better off.
My preference would be neither but if it was a choice for my children to smoke or do drugs I would buy the smokes for them.

 

[McKayCurnowGoal]

Plenty of legal products are reasonably subject to advertising restrictions. What is your point?

My point is the nanny state has gone too far already. Let's not extend it.

 

[Bald]

The gambling industry relies on predatory tactics that involve taking advantage of those who lack self control.
I agree they're not the only culprit, but they're one of the worst.

Anyone who likes to bet, including me, knows how to find betting agencies without them being advertised in every sports broadcast.

Anyone who knows how to do anything related to anything will do it whether there is advertising or not.

 

[Boppo]

On the topic of broadcasts, it seems SEN isn't able to broadcast in NSW anymore, even with its own app and NSW locations redirect to SEN3.

Anyone know why..gambling ad issues perhaps?

 

[kickazz]

Plenty of legal products are reasonably subject to advertising restrictions. What is your point?

Cigarettes
Alcohol
Prescription Drugs
Pros

 

[kickazz]

It is a legal product. Why should advertising be banned? Slippery slope if we let Government dictate what information we can and can't receive.

Slippery slope is a fallacy.

 

[longsuffreosupp]

Could be worse

"We got the multi boys"

 

[BF Tiger]

Oh, the irony...

 

[Clubber79]

In Ireland, the GAA banned all gambling sponsorship last year.
Quite a few instances in recent years of high-profile GAA players developing gambling addictions.

GAA votes to ban sponsorship deals with betting companies

 

[rumply]

In Ireland, the GAA banned all gambling sponsorship last year.
Quite a few instances in recent years of high-profile GAA players developing gambling addictions.

GAA votes to ban sponsorship deals with betting companies

Good on them, takes courage but can be done.

 

[Toump Ass]

It's ridiculous that it is so thoroughly a part of pregame/halftime talk about the game

Beyond any ethical question, it's also just ****ing boring.

Take away betting odds, cross-promotional advertising for other channel 7's other shows and cringeworthy "kids say the darndest things" segments and there's very little mention of the actual match being played. And then you cut to the commercial breaks, and its... gambling ads. It's shit.