IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO LOVE THE GAME, NOT THE ODDS

Has your club joined the Love the Game program yet?

Now is the perfect time to sign up and get involved in a Love the Game round hosted by Western Football Netball League (WFNL).

“I’m delighted that WFNL, like all our partners, prioritises the wellbeing of young people by providing them with a gambling ad-free environment in which to play sport,” Love the Game Manager CB Nyko said today.

“Sport is often at the heart of community because it brings together people from all walks of life, as well as friends and families, to share their passion for a game of skill.

“Unfortunately, though, a positive experience is being diminished by constant and excessive sports betting promotions, as demonstrated by a gambling industry spend of more than $309 million on advertising in Australia in 2022.”

To put this into context, Ms Nyko said the almost unfathomable amount of money would buy enough AFL match tickets to fill the MCG almost 115 times.*

“The normalisation of sports betting does not sit well with community or our Love the Game partners, who stand united in refusing sponsorships from gambling operators in order to reduce the exposure of young people to the ads,” she said.

“Partner clubs also help raise awareness of the risks associated with sports betting and support parents, coaches, volunteers, umpires and players to talk to the young people in their life about how gambling works and who really wins.”

Love the Game is Australia’s largest and longest running initiative to combat the normalisation of sports gambling, with more than 600 professional and community club partners in various sporting codes across the state.

“We are all role models for the young people in our lives and we can all play a part in showing kids that sport shouldn’t be about betting,” Ms Nyko said.

“Join the program today and encourage the kids in your club to love the game, not the odds.”

Clubs can sign up to the program HERE.

Partners have access to exclusive opportunities, resources and support, including leadership training, conversation tip cards, training cones, lanyards and other goodies.

 

*Average price for adult general admission tickets to a standard match at the MCG in 2023 – $27. The MCG holds 100,000 people.