In the contemporary world sponsorship is used by all business organizations because it assists to enhance brand awareness, sales, brand image and market share. While alcohol and tobacco sponsorship is restricted in many jurisdictions, professional sport is often sponsored by gambling companies nowadays.
There are some regulations in place that limit advertising gambling products in Australia. In general, advertisement for gambling services is banned in most forms of media and casinos and bookmakers can’t advertise their products before 9 p.m. on TV. These restrictions do not apply to bingo, lottery and sports betting during TV events.
Sponsorship By Gambling Companies
Today, sponsorship of professional sport by gambling companies is becoming more and more productive. Sponsorship by gambling development companies, internet sports betting agencies, pokie machine manufacturers and gaming establishments is widespread within well-known football leagues and during telecasts of international professional cricket matches. Indeed, gambling advertising has increased a lot over the past decade since the number of smartphones has grown and the possibilities of apps and social media have also increased. Thus, Nielsen Media Research announced that the gambling industry spent over $273 million on advertising in Australia in 2018, while in 2011, about $90 million were spent.
Pandemic’s Impact
Due to the pandemic more gambling advertisements appeared. The official global partnership trend is widening. Australian brands partner up with associations, leagues, and clubs. The more gambling ads are on the media, the more people start gambling. According to an Australian Institute of Family Studies survey, more than 2000 Australian punters in July last year found one in three participants, mostly young men, registered new betting accounts during COVID-19, and the number who visited gambling sites more than four times a week grew from 23 % to 32 %.
Critics
However, there are lots of people who criticize this trend.
The Reverend Tim Costello, chief advocate of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, has relaunched a campaign to end sports betting advertising. He says, “Constant gambling advertising promoting all sorts of ‘bonus bets’ undoubtedly triggered some people to gamble again, or gamble more, some with savings made during lockdowns, or even worse – with superannuation withdrawals”. He said sports wagering was the fastest-growing form of gambling in Australia.
Their opponents can’t agree with them. They say, “Close partnerships between regulated and licensed betting operators and sporting bodies are part of the solution to integrity issues, not part of the problem. We have comprehensive information sharing agreements to inform the sport’s integrity bodies, and for the sport to promote licensed operators is key to ensuring transparency.”
Rules for gambling ads
Strict rules are applied to gambling ads that appear on TV, radio or online. Below there are some of them.
- A gambling organization representative must be clearly identified;
- An internet content service provider must not be part of, or a guest of, the commentary team;
- Adverts are not permitted during children’s programs;
- Advertisement content must not target children;
- No gambling ads Can appear during certain hours;
- Gambling advertising or promotion of odds is not allowed during play, etc.
What to Wait in Future?
Gambling companies want to become as much visible as possible. What do they usually do to draw more attention to themselves? They
- Sponsor a sport event;
- Pay for ads during commercial breaks on television;
- Сreate bumper video campaigns;
- Put their logo on the shirts of players;
- Sign a contract with a player to represent them.
One of the most popular ways of advertising is shirt sponsorship. Gambling companies make million-dollar agreements. For example, one of the best-known gambling brands, Betway sponsors events in tennis, horseracing, snooker, darts, etc. An Australian company Tabcorp signed a contract with the NBA, and received exclusive broadcasting rights. Points Bet also is NBA’s betting partner.
The number of sponsorship contracts between gambling companies and sports associations is constantly growing. Taking into consideration that Australia is one of the leading nations when it comes to gambling venues and sports betting. According to some statistic data, there are about 7 million regular casino players. This means quite a big audience for large companies. However, the smaller ones can also find a niche in the market.
To be in the know go to Online Casinos Australia, there you can find lots of information about gambling brands and trends. Gambling sponsorship in sports will not stop in Australia. Not only can giants make partnership deals, smaller companies may find a way to sponsor different events. The exciting thing is that all win – the viewers get more access, the companies receive more eye time, and the sporting associations receive money. The most essential thing is that companies must be fair, safe and follow federal laws and regulations.