‘Scourge of the gambling epidemic’: Teal MP attacks AFL over gambling ads

Independent MP Zoe Daniel has attacked the AFL’s relationship with gambling advertising, saying the AFL should “read the room” on how betting on sport is being normalised.

Daniel, the member for Goldstein whose father Peter played for Essendon, called the gambling advertising a scourge of sports broadcasts and that Australia did not want to reach a point where kids knew more about “multis” - a betting option - than the finer points of the game.

Goldstein MP Zoe Daniel.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

And National Party leader David Littleproud said new curbs on gambling ads were imperative and argued promotions should not air in or around sports broadcasts, neither pre-match nor at half-time.

Littleproud also highlighted the impact of gambling advertising in sport on children, saying it had removed the innocence from sport.

Daniel, who represents a seat centred around Brighton, praised Melbourne spearhead Ben Brown for his stand against betting promotions - Brown is among the high-profile stars who have opted out of AFL-authorised promotions of Sportsbet, the AFL’s betting partner.

“Ben Brown deserves the highest praise for his courage in standing up to the AFL’s vested interest in normalising the connection between Australia’s greatest sporting code and the scourge of the gambling epidemic,” said Daniel.

“Gambling advertising in association with sport is normalising gambling, especially among our young people and frankly the AFL should read the room.″⁣

Tobacco advertising in sports broadcasts had been banned decades ago, she said.

“Yet, restrictions on gambling advertising in and around the broadcasts, sport news bulletins and streaming of AFL games are riddled with loopholes.

“It is outrageous that the broadcast of the Brownlow count is technically not a sporting event making it fertile ground for gambling companies advertising to a sport-mad audience.

“Therefore, thousands of kids watching were assailed last year with regular interruptions updating the Brownlow Medal betting market minute by minute.

“Do we really want to reach a situation where impressionable teenagers know more about the intricacies of ‘multis’ than they do about on field tactics?”

Littleproud said pushback from sports and other gambling firms was to be expected, but said it was the job of parliamentarians to strike a balance between the interests of these groups and the broader societal interest.

“This is not about the almighty dollar … I’m not a wowser, I want to educate my kids about gambling in my own time, not because they’ve had an ad thrown down their throat before a game of football,” Littleproud said

“The sheer volume of these ads have just gone too far and has taken away the innocence of sport, particularly for children.

“As a father of three, it galls me every time I go to cricket or football we get bombarded with ads about multis … These gambling companies caused this review themselves - families have had enough.” Littleproud was referring to the Parliamentary inquiry into online sports betting.

Sporting bodies say bookmakers ad spending - which grew from $89.7 million in 2011 to $287.2m in 2021 - boosts the value of TV rights deals that help fund grassroots sport.

Daniel said AFL players should not be forced into a position in which they had to “opt out” of associating with the gambling industry - if players do not specify, Sportsbet can use their images in group shots or short footage.

“They should not be put in that position by their employer.

“I have no doubt that my dad who played for Essendon would see this as a blight on a game for which he put his body on the line.

“Do we really want a situation where they come to believe that having a punt is an integral part of following footy? I will take every opportunity to help drive this scourge out of sport.”

Former Collingwood great Nathan Buckley said the onus was on governments to deal with the gambling advertising in the AFL and sport. “I mean the AFL are into it, the clubs are into it. So I don’t know how we handle that. But it really, it’s an AFL issue.

“So is that the tobacco industry of the day? How did tobacco advertising change? Governments. That’s where we need to take our lead from, which is a f...g scary proposition isn’t it?”

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