The Adelaide Thunderbirds are asking South Australians not to let betting ‘Spoil Sport’ by signing on as the newest partner of the State Government’s ‘Here For The Game’ campaign.
The Thunderbirds join Adelaide United FC, Adelaide Crows, Adelaide 36ers and the Adelaide Giants, who are all taking a stand against sports betting sponsorships and highlighting the risk sports betting can have on individuals and the community.
As part of the launch of the Thunderbirds season tomorrow (Saturday 13 April), a new iteration of the ‘Here For The Game’ campaign will also be launched.
Featuring Thunderbirds captain Hannah Petty alongside other Here For The Game ambassadors, the ‘Don’t Let Betting Spoil Sport’ campaign juxtaposes players’ excitement and passion for their teams’ achievements with the common remorse gamblers can have over their negative betting outcomes.
Adelaide Thunderbirds CEO, Bronwyn Klei said she is encouraging fans to be present when watching sport.
“We are a club that has our fans at its heart, and we want them to know that all the best aspects of sport are our great game itself and being here with us in the moment, not what might be happening on a sports betting app,” Klei said.
“We are proud to stand alongside other great South Australian teams to disrupt the normalisation of betting in sport.”
‘Spoil Sport’ asks you to visit hereforthegame.com.au if you see worrying behaviours in yourself or a mate around betting. This might be fixating on gambling instead of the game itself, regularly spending more than intended, or overreacting after losing a bet.
The Here For The Game website offers suggestions on what to say if you are worried about someone’s gambling, shares real life experiences of gambling harm, and gives you stats and facts about how betting apps are spoiling sport. The website also links visitors to tools and resources to help prevent an escalation in risky betting behaviour.
The new campaign will roll out in stadia at partner home games as well as across a variety of formats including broadcast video on demand, social media, and regional radio.
Minister for Human Services, Nat Cook said she hopes the campaign brings awareness around the risks of sports gambling.
“Here For The Game has been successfully raising community awareness about the risks of sports betting for the past two years,” Cook said.
“Spoil Sport, in the next step of the campaign, asks people to reach out if they are concerned about their own, or a mate’s betting behaviours – behaviours they might recognise in these ads.
And while some of these behaviours might seem innocuous, the fact is they are all far too commonplace – and the evidence shows they can be very real early signs of gambling harm.
As an iconic South Australian sporting team, it was great to have the Thunderbirds put up their hands to be part of the campaign, particularly keeping families focused on what we love about sport, the excitement of the game itself.
The positive message that our partner clubs like the Thunderbirds are sending, is that gambling does not have to go hand in hand with sport and certainly not ruin someone’s experience or enjoyment of sport – and for our athletes, their participation in sport.”
Adelaide Thunderbirds Premiership Captain, Hannah Petty is standing by the campaign.
"I am so excited to be part of this important campaign. We absolutely love it when the crowd is focused on cheering us to a win. We can feel that emotion when they are on our side and not distracted by looking at their odds," Petty said.
The State Government invests in a range of gambling help services and communication activities through the Gamblers Rehabilitation Fund (GRF). Investments include prevention, early intervention and public education activities with the ultimate goal to ensure South Australians are more likely to access help for their own or someone else’s gambling, before experiencing crisis, and are less likely to relapse.
The Here For The Game campaign makes a direct contribution to this goal by working to disrupt the normalisation of gambling in sport and raise awareness of the potential for harm sports betting can create and the help available.
