The sum of Australian betting agency Sportsbet’s advertising activity has been revealed.
As reported in the Herald, the betting agency’s UK owner Flutter told investors Sportsbet spent around $139 million in local advertising efforts in 2020, making it one of the top-spending advertisers in Australia.
And the high level of marketing activity appears to have driven results for the bookmaker.
According to Flutter’s annual report for 2020, Sportsbet accepted double the volume of bets in 2020 compared to 2019.
It is worth noting that Sportsbet undertook a dedicated Safer Gambling campaign for all customers at the start of the pandemic and has increased activity in this space in recent months.
While Sportsbet has been able to establish itself as one of the top advertisers in the country, it has done so even with strict regulations around when and how gambling ads can be shown.
For example, betting ads are not permitted on TV within certain hours to protect children and are not allowed to promote odds during a match.
But on the back of Flutter’s annual report and with both the NRL and AFL finals in action, there have been renewed calls for stricter controls around advertisements for gambling services.
“Kids seem to be just absolutely hammered with what the odds are on this or that and there seems to be an almost non-delineation between sport and gambling,” Liberal MP Andrew Wallace said, according to ABC News.
“I think we should be looking at a phased-in restriction on gambling companies from advertising in the first instance during sports.
“But ultimately, I just don’t see there’s a place for advertising on our television or radio full stop,” he said.
