South Australia and Adelaide United to promote sports without gambling ads

Authorities and the soccer club have signed a partnership to promote sports without sports betting ads and to establish good practices.

Australia.- The South Australian State Government has partnered with Adelaide United, an A-League soccer club, to establish good practices and role models to promote sports without the need to advertise sports betting services. The multi-year partnership is in response to the prevalence of sports betting in the state

Authorities hope that cooperation with the football team will help offset interest in sports betting. The announcement was issued after the local government launched its “come for the game” campaign and an initiative to prevent sports betting from becoming the main focus of sports events at the expense of sports.

The AU$328,000 communications campaign reinforces the positive aspects of sport without gambling across television, radio, websites, social media ads and on-ground advertising at Coopers Stadium. It also focuses on reaching out to young people and parents who are most likely to bet on sports.

A recent survey of South Australian adults showed that 78 per cent of respondents were worried about how much sports betting ads children would be exposed to. Some 83 per cent of respondents agreed that betting ads make children think that sports betting is normal. According to the government, the latest research found:

• From 2005 to 2019, the amount lost on sports betting increased from AU$1.98m to AU$8.25m.
• 32 per cent of South Australian sports bettors gamble at risky levels compared to 27 per cent of poker machine players.
• Three-quarters of 8 to 16-year-olds can name at least one sports betting company.

In July, Focus Gaming News revealed that player losses on slots reached AU$769.87bn between January and July of the current year.

The record amount represents a 13 per cent increase when compared to pre-pandemic levels. It comes despite a reduction in the number of machines, which are gradually being retired.

Slot revenue was seriously affected by Covid-19 countermeasures and lockdowns but rebounded when venues reopened. Players lost more than AU$70m in July and August 2020.

Anti-gambling campaigners have expressed concerns. Authorities have been working to increase the use of gambling harm reduction tools, including the introduction of facial recognition technology.

Over US$710m laundered through slot machines in Australia

David Byrne, chief NSW gaming investigator, has revealed that a group laundered over AU$1bn (US$710m) through games machines (known as poker machines). He told The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes that state and federal authorities found 95,000 poker machines in New South Wales had been used to launder illegal cash.

The investigation involved surveillance of CCTV footage from the Tiger Airport site in central Sydney, which captured a money-laundering syndicate. The group had two methods. A small number of people worked on connected gaming machines to find an almost guaranteed jackpot, while another person put banknotes into two poker machines at the same time.