13 September 2014

, Minister for Human Services

New Education Campaign on Sports Betting

A new Tasmanian Government community education campaign will highlight the risks of sports betting.

The campaign targets young men at risk of developing issues with sports betting and the impact it can have on them.

Most of the campaign will be delivered using digital advertising, including Facebook, online sites for the three major Tasmanian newspapers, smart phones and websites. Print advertisements will also be used.

The campaign will coincide with the AFL finals, the Spring Racing Carnival and the beginning of the cricket and A-League seasons. Advertising will begin today, Saturday 13 September, and run to Friday 12 December.

The campaign has been developed in response to research conducted by the University of Tasmania on the trends and risks of sports betting and its promotion in Australia and internationally.

Commissioned by the Department of Health and Human Services, the research found:

• the demographic of sports betting participants is clearly identified as younger men with full-time employment, higher socio-economic status, better education and access to the Internet;
• the two identified risk groups for sports betting are young men, and children and adolescents;
• the perceived saturation of the sporting experience through betting-related advertising has altered the experience of watching sport, by aligning betting with fans' enjoyment of a game and encouraging individuals to bet live during the game; and
• sports betting (along with doping and match fixing) was seen as a challenge to the probity of sport in Australia, particularly at grass-roots and semi-professional levels.

Sports betting is the fastest growing form of gambling in Australia with participation more than doubling over the last decade.

More information about the campaign can be found at www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/gambling/sportsbetting

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