Dandenong Ranges Orienteering Club has signed up to Love The Game.
Our club says no to sports betting sponsorship. We are proud to have joined hundreds of other sporting clubs across Victoria who #LovetheGameNottheOdds @responsiblegambling. Watch the video
We encourage our junior members to take back the game. By understanding the risks of sports gambling, they can enjoy sport for what it really is, and love the game, not the odds.
Why We Care
Young men (18–24 years) bet on sport more than any other age group in Victoria, making up a third of all sports gambling. Currently, one in five adults who experience serious harm from gambling began before they turned 18.
Young people feel enormous pressure to fit in. Like underage drinking and smoking, gambling becomes a real problem when kids see it as normal, because they assume that everyone’s doing it. Gambling ads aim to give betting the same sense of normality.
Gambling is now accessible 24/7 through smartphones and gambling applications. Smartphones put sports gambling at everyone’s fingertips, including kids, making it easier than ever for them to start.
The narratives of sports betting ads make it seem as though there’s no risk. Using ‘cash-back’ and ‘bonus-bet’ offers, getting involved at a lower risk becomes much more appealing for kids. If they’ve got nothing to lose, then why not?
Separate studies have found:
- An average of 374 gambling ads are broadcast on free-to-air TV daily, with children under 12 the most exposed.
- 73 per cent of Victorians aged 12–17 reported seeing gambling ads on TV in the past 30 days.
Our Love the Game Charter and Gambling Harm Prevention Policy