Australian Football League club Geelong has announced its support for the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation’s Love the Game program.
The club will take a stand against sports betting in the country during its match against the Western Bulldogs later today, where there will be no gambling ads on display at GMHBA Stadium.
Geelong said it is proud to be one of more than 500 sporting clubs across Victoria to say no to sports betting, adding that all ten AFL clubs in the state are “united in our commitment to protect kids from the promotion of gambling in sport.”
The club continued by explaining that almost one third of sports betting in the state is carried out by men aged 18-24, which “shouldn’t come as a surprise, given kids this century have routinely been exposed to excessive levels of sports betting advertising while watching their heroes during live broadcast matches.”
Geelong said a 2020 survey found that 88% of Victorian sports fans agreed that young people are exposed to too much sports betting advertising, with AU$232m (US$175m) spent on ads in the country in 2019, compared to $89.7m in 2011.
Geelong Chief Commercial Braith Cox commented: “It's extremely important for our club to be gambling and gaming free, and we are proud that our stadium doesn’t display any sports gambling advertising.
“As a partner of the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation’s Love the Game program, Geelong says no to sports betting sponsorship to help limit the gambling promotions seen by our fans.
“We want to encourage young people to love the game, not the odds.”
