An offshore gambling company that breached Australian law and was forced to withdraw from the country has paid the national football league to promote it overseas.
The Australian Professional Leagues has digitally imposed ads for the gambling company, 8XBet, on to international broadcasts of A-Leagues matches. The company’s logo can be seen in 10 locations simultaneously during some games.
The ads, which cannot be seen by fans inside the stadium, featured during matches played by clubs that have vowed to never accept money from gambling companies and complained about the proliferation of ads during live sport.
The commercial deal, struck by an agency, does not allow the ads to be broadcast in Australia, New Zealand, the US or the UK. 8XBet is an official wagering partner for English giant Manchester City and targets the Asian market, where football and the Premier League are popular.
The digital addition of 8XBet ads – first reported by the football magazine Josimar – has prompted gambling reform advocates to accuse the A-Leagues of being out-of-touch with fans and “selling out” to gambling interests.
Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act prohibits offshore gambling companies from offering bets to people based in Australia and bans the promotion of their services in Australia. It does not ban their promotion overseas by Australian organisations.
In 2022, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) found 8XBet allowed Australian clients to gamble, despite not having an Australian licence. The company has subsequently withdrawn from the country.
When contacted about the A-Leagues’ commercial deal with 8XBet, an Acma spokesperson said it was “being considered in light of the applicable rules and circumstances”.
8XBet and the A-Leagues were contacted for comment.
The ads featured heavily during a 2 March game between Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC. Wanderers have previously criticised the amount of gambling advertising associated with professional sport.
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In 2021, the club announced it would refuse to take any money from gambling companies or promote their brands. It supported an NSW office of responsible gambling to break gambling’s close association with sport and to raise awareness of gambling related harm.
The ads were also imposed on Melbourne Victory home games.
Victory supports an initiative run by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF) to reduce the amount of advertising associated with professional sport.
When asked whether the A-Leagues’ commercial deal with 8XBet undermined Victory’s stance against gambling, the club declined to comment. So too did the A-Leagues.
A VRFG spokesperson said a study of Victorian sports fans conducted by La Trobe University found only 14% of 50,000 responses were supported gambling companies sponsoring sporting clubs.
“Sporting bodies that engage in sponsorship deals with gambling operators are out of touch with community values and expectations, including those of fans,” a VRGF spokesperson said.
“The professional and community sporting clubs – including 112 Victorian community soccer clubs – that partner with initiatives like the foundation’s ‘love the game, not the odds’ program are more in tune with their communities.”
The deal was criticised by the Alliance for Gambling Reform’s chief executive, Carol Bennet, who accused the A-Leagues of “selling out” to offshore gambling.
“Allowing themselves to be used by gambling companies to attract more losers is very disappointing, especially at a time when soccer is well positioned to increase its reach and engagement,” Bennett said.