Phoenix joins 600+ Victorian clubs to love the game, not the odds

South East Melbourne Phoenix has joined the Melbourne Boomers and 600+ clubs in a range of sporting codes across Victoria to say no to sports betting sponsorship.

Welcoming the Phoenix to the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation’s Love the Game program, CEO Shane Lucas today said that an important part of the program involved supporting young people to develop critical thinking skills.

‘Research shows that young men between 18 and 24 years make up a third of sports bettors in Victoria, while participation in young women is rising. This is significant because this group is the first generation to have grown up with gambling advertising.

‘We want to ensure that young people have the knowledge they need, before they are legally allowed to bet, to be able to make informed decisions about sports gambling when the time comes,’ Mr Lucas said.

‘We’re delighted that the Phoenix has prioritised the wellbeing of young people by joining the growing number of sporting clubs taking a stance on this issue and reducing their exposure to sports betting promotions.’

Phoenix CEO Tommy Greer said that becoming a Love the Game partner was a way of continuing to contribute to the community.

‘We’re very engaged with young people and we want them to love basketball for the game, just as our players do, not the odds,’ he said.

‘We’re very proud to be a Love the Game partner and to support the Foundation’s great work through our network of more than 65,000 basketball association members in the south-east of Melbourne, the basketball camps we host and school clinics we run.’

Anyone negatively affected by their own or someone else’s gambling can access confidential free advice, support and referral 24/7 on 1800 858 858.