A protest group is threatening to launch a child-targeted gambling service called SimBet if the federal government fails to take action against betting advertisements that air during sports matches. SimBet, which describes itself as ‘sportsbetting fun for the whole family’, is a controversial initiative.
Some members of the general public believe that it could be effecting in forcing the government to act while others are concerned that it will simply encourage young people to gamble. The minds behind SimBet have set a deadline of February 2014. If the federal government does not take further action to can sportsbetting ads during televised sports matches, then the SimBet gambling service will be launched.
“SimBet aims to teach our children about sports betting from a young age by placing simulated bets on actual sporting events,” reads a description of SimBet [http://simbet.com/#about-us]. “Thanks to our innovative and child-friendly website and app, your kids will be able to enjoy the thrills of betting on sports”. When the campaign was launched, the idea was that it would create a stir on social media networks.
Unfortunately, it does not seem to have received much negative attention. As such, industry experts believe that SimBet has been a waste of time – especially since there is the chance that it could actually be encouraging young people to take up gambling. "The SimBet site looks worrying to me,” says Mark Henley, who worries that the satirical element of the campaign may not be acknowledged.
“I fear that the humour strategy may be a bit too subtle”. The campaign was launched in December 2013, and the federal government has just nine more days to take action. At the moment, it does not seem like politicians are gearing up to change betting advertising regulations any further – so, we will see how they react when the service is launched in February.
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