Sports betting is growing in popularity in South Australia, with young men aged 18 to 34 most likely to participate. Young people’s gambling is influenced their family and friends and by beliefs that betting is a normal part of life and an easy way to make money.
Behind the massive growth in sports betting in young people is the rise of gambling advertising on TV and online, and easy access to digital platforms, especially through mobile phones.
In 2021, the Office for Problem Gambling (OPG) partnered with Adelaide United Football Club (AUFC) to deliver ‘Here for the Game’ a program to disrupt the normalisation of betting in sport. Our partnership with AUFC proved to be successful with fans recalling and resonating with the message of the campaign. Fans also told us how they felt proud that their club supported such an important community initiative. To read more about what the fans thought of Here For The Game, visit The Score.
Since then, OPG has expanding the initiative welcoming the Adelaide 36ers, Adelaide Giants, Adelaide Crows and Adelaide Thunderbirds as partners. These clubs will help deliver and support the Here For The Game message to their respective sporting community and also help OPG spread the message to the wider community.
‘Here for the Game’ aims to get young people, their parents and peers focused on all the things we love about sport, the big kicks, the tense moments, the winning goal, the cheers, the excitement, the love of your team. We want South Australians to be “Here for the Game” not the gambling.
This season...
In April 2024, to coincide with the launch of the Thunderbirds partnership, OPG also launced the next iteration of Here For The Game called 'Spoil Sport'. The campaign highlights behaviours where individuals are more concerned with their gambling than the actual game and juxtaposes it against players’ excitement and passion for their teams’ achievements. These behaviours can include being fixating on gambling rather than the game, regularly spending more than intended, or overreacting after losing a bet.
To learn more, visit the Here for the Game website