Show some Betiquette during footy finals

An award-winning advertising campaign urging men to “show some Betiquette” is being run by the NSW Government during key sporting events such as the footy finals, Natalie Wright, Director of the Office of Responsible Gambling, said today.

Appearing on sporting channels including Nine and Nine Now, Optus Sport, Kayo, Fox Sport and Triple M, the successful Betiquette campaign takes a novel and humorous approach to encourage young men to use some good old-fashioned etiquette when betting so they stay in control.

“The campaign has just been awarded the Best Regulatory Campaign for 2021 by the International Association of Gaming Regulators. It tackles a serious problem in a light-hearted way and is designed to resonate with men - who make up 90 per cent of online sports bettors,” Ms Wright said.

“Over $1 million has been invested in targeted advertisements throughout this year’s sporting season, with a particular focus on the sports that attract audiences most likely to be at risk of harm from betting such as rugby league, rugby union and soccer.

“It’s hard to compete with the $271.3 million spent in advertising by wagering companies in 2020 but we are having a lot of success in cutting through to the audience and helping them to make informed choices and take action to prevent gambling harm.”

Ms Wright said the campaign has a range of thought-provoking messages such as knowing when to stop betting, planning your bets, overcoming peer pressure, and not betting under the influence of alcohol. These strategies can help young men to remain in control when betting and make safer decisions.

“The NSW Gambling Study 2019 found that one in 20 adults bet on sports, and that online sports betting had doubled since 2011. In 2018/19 almost $1.2 billion was spent on sports and race betting in NSW. The amount spent on sports betting in NSW is increasing, despite the impacts of Covid-19.” Ms Wright said.

The campaign is funded by the NSW Responsible Gambling Fund, which is providing $36 million in 2021/22 for a range of initiatives to prevent and reduce gambling harm.