SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Gambling and particularly its advertising and marketing practices have been an area of focus for Australian authorities at the state and federal level. Amidst this, leading betting firm Tabcorp has outlined its responsible advertising principles.
A statement published on the ASX group’s website, signed by Managing Director and CEO Adam Rytenskild, asserted that Tabcorp is supportive of ‘tougher restrictions’ on betting advertising to protect young and vulnerable people.
This has included the ban on advertising during prime-time viewing on free-to-air TV between 6:30am and 8:30pm, as well as backing the setting up of a framework for regulating online gambling advertising. Former Tabcorp CEO David Attenborough has been vocally supportive of such a move in the past.
The presence and visibility of betting, particularly via advertising, has fallen under the Australian public and political spotlight in recent years, attracting attention from state governments, the federal government and in parliament.
Notably, the federal Labor government of Anthony Albanese has introduced new safer gambling messaging requirements, replacing the ‘gamble responsibly’ tagline with nine harder hitting phrases, such as ‘What’s gambling really costing you?’.
This was followed by the government announcing support for a blanket ban on gambling advertising across all forms of media within three years.
Amid this increased scrutiny on gambling, Tabcorp has reiterated the responsible advertising commitments of its Responsible Marketing and Advertising Position Statement.
This includes ensuring advertising falls in line with laws, regulations and industry standards, including the most stringent ones, and providing ‘honest, accurate and balanced information’ about its products.
Tabcorp also outlined meeting industry standards regarding discrimination in advertising and marketing, although perhaps most important is the group’s policy of providing ‘informed choices and avoiding gambling harm’.
The CEO-signed statement explained: “We provide all customers the option to opt out of receiving direct marketing and will not send marketing or advertising materials to customers who have opted out of receiving direct marketing, or have been identified as having problems with their gambling behaviour.”
By extension, the operator also ‘strictly’ prohibits using content which could appeal to minors and depict minors or people who appear to be under 18, including the use of advertising on social media platforms with a large young audience such as TikTok.
Whilst the use of TikTok is generally avoided by betting firms for this reason, some have ventured onto the platform. Notably, one of Tabcorp’s competitors, Sportsbet, reportedly signed an advertising agreement with the app last year, although all content is apparently directed towards users over 18.
Outside of social media, Tabcorp has also reiterated its commitment to promoting ‘the socially responsible use’ of its products as recreational entertainment, whilst maintaining systems and processes in place to manage compliance with laws and regulations.
Lastly, the firm stated that it holds itself accountable for breaches of principles, laws, standards and codes, and that all practices and internal controls are reviewed to minimise the risk of harm.
