A gradual and transparent approach to freeing sporting bodies from reliance on gambling advertising makes sense.
that Gillon McLachlan would take the reins at wagering business Tabcorp. While McLachlan may not have pioneered what has become a symbiotic relationship between gambling and sport, he did little to hinder its rapid growth during his tenure.
It’s hardly surprising. McLachlan’s reputation is well burnished by his ability to land deals that have significantly swelled the AFL’s coffers, the most substantial being thethat was struck two years ago. While that deal is not directly linked to gambling revenue, the sport’s value is bolstered, in the eyes of broadcasters, by the advertising spending of betting companies.
This may be a financial windfall for the AFL, but a good number of the game’s supporters are troubled by the proliferation of gambling advertising. Given a choice over what industry they would like to see banished from sponsoring professional sport,more than 60 per cent of respondents wanted online gambling given the boot, well ahead of those calling for a ban on advertising of alcohol and the fossil fuel industry.
Despite the strong sentiment from fans wanting gambling reined in, the AFL has done little to heed their concerns, focusing instead on the league’s bottom line. And McLachlan’s appointment as head of Tabcorp can only mean a strengthening of what is already a rather cosy relationship between the two industries.The seeming lack of will from sporting codes to wean themselves off the growing reliance on gambling leaves any changes in the hands of the federal government.
It would start with a ban on gambling ads during news and current affairs broadcasts, on social media and the internet, and on radio during school drop-off and pick-up times. The second phase would extend the bans around sporting events and the third would stop all broadcast advertising of online gambling between 6am and 10pm. Finally, at the end of the third year, there would be a prohibition on all online gambling advertising and sponsorship.
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