Australia: two NRL clubs turn their backs on gambling sponsorship
The Bulldogs and the Rabbitohs have announced they will also restrict betting promotions on ground signage and big screens.
Australia.- Two of the most influential NRL teams, the Bulldogs and the Rabbitohs, have decided they will no longer accept betting sponsorships. The clubs announced they will remove gambling sponsorship from all club clothes and will also restrict betting promotions on ground signage and big screens.
They’re joining the New South Wales government’s Reclaim the Game programme, which promotes sport without betting advertising and sponsorship. Until now, nine clubs in the AFL, basketball, cricket and football had joined the initiative.
Blake Solly, Rabbitohs chief executive, said: “Our community plays such a big role in our club, and we felt that this is a campaign we can support to reduce community exposure to sports betting advertising.”
See also: AFL fans irked by increase in gambling advertising
Natalie Wright, the director of the NSW government’s office of responsible gambling, added: “Online sports betting is the fastest growing form of gambling and the NRL is the most popular sport to bet on in NSW.
“The NRL fan base is huge and gambling advertising is everywhere which means if you’re a supporter you can’t avoid seeing it. Sports betting companies know that visibility works, which is why they invest so much in advertising on the most popular code in NSW.”
See also: Australia: anti-gambling campaigner blasts AFL crypto sponsorship
