As a,the bookmaker this month inked deals with the Brisbane Broncos and Parramatta Eels. It teamed up with the GWS Giants and Brisbane Lions this year.
Tabcorp,one of the largest wagering firms,alongside Sportsbet,has been.
Chief executive Adam Rytenskild told a parliamentary inquiry in April that the “proliferation of gambling advertising,we believe,has gone too far”.
The betting industry had reached a “critical line-in-the-sand moment”,he said. “This is not good for the broader Australian community and it’s not good for the long-term sustainability of the wagering industry.”
Anti-gambling campaigners have suggested Tabcorp’s stance is linked to fears its dominance could be eroded by smaller firms spending big on promotions.
In a with the North Queensland Cowboys,it was announced the team’s jersey would display a Tabcorp logo. But the December deals,which came about a month after in talks with the government over gambling advertising,do not include match-day jersey promotions.
In a statement,Tabcorp said the new deals would involve promoting sports teams on its racing and social media platforms.
“We’re partnering with some of the country’s great sporting teams for content creation,but we won’t be putting the TAB logo on any of their jerseys,” it said.
“We are leading the category regarding our stance on advertising. We believe there is too much gambling advertising and have voluntarily stopped free-to-air advertising between 6am and 8.30pm. We know the community is over it and it’s the right thing to do.
“We see this as a great opportunity to grow the brand of clubs and their athletes,as well as providing innovative content for our customers.”
Leading anti-gambling advocate the Reverend Tim Costello said Tabcorp had demonstrated a “bucketload of hypocrisy”.
“When they call for a ban on ads,of course I support them,but it’s self-interested and about their market share,” he said.
He said Tabcorp’s latest deals excluding jersey promotions were still designed to “saturate the public mind” through more creative means.
Costello repeated his call for legislation to outlaw gambling advertising,saying it should be named after the late Labor MP Peta Murphy,who led the parliament inquiry that in June called for ads to be phased out over three years.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Murphy’s husband,Rod Glover,both mentioned Murphy’s gambling policy advocacy at her funeral on December 15. The 50-year-old.
Several Labor MPs have called for an outright ban. But this that government officials had been asking betting firms questions about a milder intervention,favoured by media companies and bookmakers,to instead limit the volume and frequency of advertisements.
became the most senior member of the government to support a full prohibition.
“It would be a fitting tribute to Peta if parliament were to enact that ban and name it after her. And,as a side benefit,we could forever redefine the term ‘Murphy’s law’,” Leigh said in the House of Representatives on December 6.
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