Gambling with our future

Gambling has been back in the spotlight this week, with some juicy headlines driving plenty of clicks.

There were some truly extraordinary allegations from anti-gambling campaigners Tim Costello and Luke Bateman as they accused gambling companies of exercising no duty of care. File that one in the shocking but not surprising category.

The companies in question denied the allegations (what were the odds on that?) but that didn’t stop some Labor MPs from using the furore to renew calls to go harder on gambling reform.

Elsewhere, ASIC issued its strongest warning yet about the risk of offshore prediction markets, saying the products were “akin to gambling”. Which is kinda like saying an apple is akin to fruit.

And the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), as well as gambling regulators in Victoria and NSW issued new warnings about influencers peddling gambling venues and illegal online betting apps.

That’s a lot, but it’s arguably not even the biggest development. This week, the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) released new research which found every single NRL club, along with five AFL clubs, are sponsored by gambling companies. Over in the UK, a new rule banning gambling companies from appearing on the front of Premier League shirts has seen massive new deals be signed for training kits and sleeve sponsors instead.

This matters. Sport fandom is growing rapidly, with the average fan now following five different sports, an 18% jump in just four years. A majority (54%) of that engagement now happens outside of live game coverage, such as watching training sessions.

Given a recent survey from Bethesda and YouGov found 44% of Aussies said their fandom has influenced their personal identity, it tracks that gambling’s close relationship with sport is having a huge impact on people, and particularly young people.

Gambling is everywhere. Regulation of it must be just as widespread.