By Greg Baum
The AFL pulled an anti-gambling ad off its website and social media one week into a four-week campaign because it conflicted with their Sportsbet sponsorship.
International sports website ESPN also scrapped the Love The Game Not The Odds ad.
Easton Wood is in the anti-gambling ad which was removed from the AFL website.Credit: Getty Images
“We’ve had to pause the activity because we have Sportsbet as an official wagering partner, which doesn’t sit well as the core messaging for this campaign is ‘we say no to sports gambling sponsorship’,” an AFL operative wrote in an email to the media agency that distributed the ad.
“Is there any chance you can revise the creative to have a more responsible gambling focus than ‘we say no to sports gambling sponsorship’? If we leave it up as it is, it’s a bit hypocritical on our part.”
This anti-gambling ad was pulled from the AFL website one week into a four-week campaign. The AFL said its removal was an error.
The ad, featuring players from Victorian AFL clubs shoulder to shoulder, was funded by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. It is running on all the major television and radio networks and in regional Victoria. The AFL had signed off on the campaign and did not directly inform the VRGF of the decision to stop it.
The AFL said the shutdown of the campaign was a mistake. “The AFL has a long-standing relationship with the VRGF,” a spokesman said. “A recent digital campaign was booked for the AFL website and it was mistakenly removed.”
A spokesperson for ESPN said they had no comment.
“A large majority of Victorian AFL fans is concerned that young people see an excessive volume of sports gambling ads,” said VRGF chief executive Shane Lucas. “This is not lost on the state’s 10 AFL clubs, which are united in saying no to sports betting sponsorship.
“It was disappointing that the AFL and ESPN removed the Love The Game Not The Odds campaign from their channels but we accept the AFL’s explanation that it was a mistake and acknowledge the commitment to reinstate our campaign.”
A VRGF survey in 2018-19 found that participation in sports betting was growing quickly, particularly among men aged 18-24. A Latrobe University survey last year found that 87 per cent of footy fans agreed that young people aged 12-17 were over-exposed to sports betting advertising.
“Tobacco sponsorship of sporting events was considered normal for many years before the detrimental effects were acknowledged and action taken,” said Lucas.
“With research now showing that people aged 18-24 are now the largest group of sports bettors in Victoria, and children routinely quoting the odds, it’s clear that earlier action on sports betting sponsorship is needed to prevent the normalisation of betting on sport - and ultimately reduce harm from gambling.”
The AFL spokesman said: “The AFL looks forward to continuing to work with the VRGF and continue to promote their important responsible gambling message through AFL channels.”
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