As gambling advertising becomes more prevalent in the sports industry, it is becoming industry important for young people to be made aware of responsible gambling measures.

To help ensure that youths are making the right decisions when it comes to gambling, players on the Melbourne Victory football team have joined up with the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation (VRGF). Adrian Leijer, Matthew Foschini and Nick Ansell recently attended a training session held by the VRGF in partnership with Melbourne Victory Football Club.

At the event, they sports stars spoke to local young people about the potential harms of gambling, and to raise awareness of the risks involved. The training session was held for young people aged 13 – 19. All attendees are part of the Centre for Multicultural Youth, which works with refugee and migrant families. The goal of the organisation is to increase the participation of these groups in sports and recreational activities across the state.

So, it is important ensure that responsible gambling is promoted while trying to engage people the sports industry. “I want kids to love sport as much as I do, and I want them to be aware of some of the risks that sometimes surround the sports we love, such as gambling,” Leijer says. In the football world, it is becoming increasingly difficult to separate sports from gambling.

Many young people are learning from advertisements that gambling is something that is required in order to be a true sports fan – but that is not the case.

It is possible to enjoy sports without feeling compelled to wager, and the VRGF wants to ensure that young people across Victoria are aware of this.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.