G'day punters, sports nuts, one and all. Australia continues to be one of the world's hot spots for gambling and casino news. Sports stars and celebs are a couple of the biggest weapons gambling companies are using to promote gambling down under. Media Man and Gambling911 with a special report in Aussie online gambling wars with celeb power...
Australian Casinos, Clubs, Poker, Sports Use Celebs To Promote Gambling...
A boom in online sports betting has seen punters' overall losses double in 5 years.
Sports commentators (mainly in cricket, and to a lesser extent, AFL and NRL) are feeding the gambling beast and some say, putting Aussie kids at risk.
Pick the odds the promoters shout. "Check out our betting promotions", says a sports commentator, and you get the picture.
The leap in online betting firms and smartphone tech has allowed Aussies access to would you believe 2319 or so online gambling websites.
Say G'day to Alex Blaszczynski, a psychologist who is treating a growing number of sports betting addicts. He's called for a crackdown on how gambling is marketed.
"These sports stars are role models that people look up to," Prof Blaszczynski said.
"My concern is over the next few years we're going to see a steady rise in sports-related problem gambling."
Aussie punters are tipped to lose $611 million via online sports betting this year, up from $264 million in 2006, Global Betting and Gaming Consultants figures state.
Total sports betting is much higher as the amounts do not include bets through phone calls, TAB outlets and some sports betting sites also offer casino games.
One commentators called the marketing campaign techniques "blitzkrieg" in nature, which sounds pretty effective, if not evil.
Sporting figures spruiking brands, promos and odds during matches are very big.
"That is normalising gambling. Let's be sensible about it now and have a balance of appropriate advertising," Prof Blaszczynski said.
We understand there were 24 new sports betting clients at Prof Blaszczynski's University of Sydney gambling treatment clinic last year...a 70% jump from 14 new clients the previous year.
Organisations Relationships Australia and Gamblers Anonymous also told press of a new trend towards problem sports betting.
Addiction concerns come as match fixing now beats drugs as sport's biggest challenge, says numerous insiders.
Sports betting was the vice of choice, or brand of poison if you will, for a growing number of passionate gamblers, driven by smartphones which provide constant internet access, according to Southern Cross University researcher Dr Sally Gainsbury, who is conducting a major survey of the nation's gamblers.
"My figures indicate sports gambling is the fastest growing form of gambling in Australia," Dr Gainsbury said.
"Within Australia and internationally these online gambling companies are increasing their expenditure on marketing, anywhere from 30 to 50% in the last year alone.
"For problem gamblers there's that trigger, that impulse to gamble. For children...there is this link between the celebrity or sporting figure endorsing a gambling site.
"Kids look at that as something to aspire to. That certainly is of concern."
Mission Australia's Queensland state director Penny Gillespie said there was a growing sense sport could only be enjoyed with a bet.
"For children, they're are going to grow up thinking sport goes hand-in-hand with gambling."
On an international scale with online casinos, bingo and poker PartyGaming has used retired Formula 1 racing car drivers Jaime Alguersuari Giancarlo Fisichella to promote PartyPoker and cricket identity Phil 'Tuffers' Tufnel to promote both PartyCasino and their poker brand. Virgin's Richard Branson has also placed himself in the spotlight to promote his poker and bingo brands, thanks to a look-a-like animated character Ricardo Jalapeno. Party are regarded the strongest gambling brand linked to Hollywood, with an emphasis on games with themes such as The Godfather, The Terminator, Saturday Night Fever, Mission: Impossible and more. More and more Aussiewood and Hollywood themes are being used as the battle for the entertainment and gambling dollar continues to heat up.
Gold Coast: Stomp Musical Coming To Gold Coast's Jupiters Hotel and Casino...
A rhythmic theatre, comedy and dance spectacular that sees its cast use "everything and the kitchen sink" to entertain crowds aged from five to 95 will head to Jupiters Hotel & Casino in May for an exclusive Australian season. A slice of physical theatre, STOMP was created by co-directors Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas in Britain 20 years ago and has been touring the world ever since, playing to more than 15 million people in 48 countries. The show has become such an international success, it has been parodied on hit US TV series Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons. The international stage phenomenon “STOMP” will be exclusive at Jupiters from 12th May and is tipped to run for 14 weeks.
Melbourne: Crown Casino Gets HIStory This Is It: Jackson Tribute Show...
The tour, entitled HIStory This Is It, is an opportunity for Jackson fans to celebrate the music, the magic and all the history! This concert is the product of twenty-five years' dedication from celebrated Las Vegas performer, Kenny Wizz, to championing MJ's genius. This is the closest you will ever get to see the King of Pop in concert... Don't miss out! DATE & SHOW TIME: Friday 3 June & Saturday 4 June 2011
Sydney: Star City To Get The Music Of Andrew Lloyd Webber...
25 - 29 May 2011: A new theatrical event featuring Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most timeless songs performed by the current stars of Australian musical theatre is coming to the Lyric Theatre on 25 May for 8 shows only. He’s been described as the master of musical theatre, the maestro of musicals, and a theatrical force to be reckoned with. His musicals have been seen by hundreds of millions around the world, translated into dozens of languages and won every major entertainment award. Now – Australia is set to fall in love once more with THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER in a stunning new theatrical event that will tour Australia in 2011. After more than 40 years, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music continues to have the extraordinary ability to touch an audience, lifting them to new heights of exhilaration and emotion after just a few bars of music. Through state-of–the-art technology, audiences will be swept from the avenues of Broadway to the magnificence of Eva Peron’s Argentina and the speedways of Starlight Express, in a dazzling journey through the many settings of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s greatest works. All the ‘big’ moments from Evita, The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Sunset Boulevard, Woman in White to the current Love Never Dies will be there.
Readers... er, punters, how did you like our report? Tell us in the forum.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
Online Casinos, Online Poker and Sports Betting...
Ok readers, we hear you... you also want to know some of the best places to play online (that accept Aussies) if your in or around the Asia Pacific - Australia (including Tassie) and New Zealand, so here it is...
PartyCasino.com (Many of the world's best slot games. Aussies and Kiwi's welcome).
Captain Cooks Casino
Betfair (sports betting only)
PKR.com (poker, slots including Marvel slot games and sports betting)
PartyPoker.com (online poker at one of the world's most respected poker rooms and gaming brands)
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Take the time to research and learn games before placing down money
Media Man, Casino News Media and Gambling911 are website portals. Not casinos as such, however are recognised as world leading websites that cover the sector and act as central points to games, news, reviews and more.
If you have a bet, please bet with your head, not over it, and for God's sake, have fun.
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Gaming is just one of a dozen sectors covered
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