For the first time since the late 2000s, Cricket Australia (CA) is without a betting sponsor. Ahead of Australia’s first Test match against Bangladesh in Darwin, when the Marrara Stadium was receiving the final touches, the boundary rope was laid outside the ground without the logo of the betting company Bet365.
Cricket Australia had a long relationship with the betting company Bet365. Since 2012, the company has remained as one of the associate sponsors of the national cricket team. The tie seems to be broken. During the Australia vs Bangladesh Test series, which will begin on August 13, CA’s major commercial partner, Toyota, will get the boundary rope signage instead, as reported by Australia’s media house The Age.
Cricket Australia confirms Toyota for the boundary signage during the Tests vs Bangladesh
Quoting a Cricket Australia spokesperson, the media report on August 12, a day before the first match of the two-match Test series between Australia and Bangladesh, mentioned that the cricket board had tried to negotiate different deals for signage assets. In the end, it is their commercial partner, Toyota, who stepped in to support the cricket board.
“We negotiate different deals for signage assets across the season. We are grateful for the support of Toyota, which is the boundary rope partner for the Tests in Darwin and Mackay,” the Cricket Australia spokesperson told the media house.
The Government of Australia is taking a strict stance against the betting companies
It remains undisclosed why the cricket board broke its ties with its long-associated sponsor. Before Bet365, there was another betting firm named Betfair, partnered with Cricket Australia. The exit of Bet365 occurred at the moment when the Government of Australia vowed to take strict actions against any betting-related activities.
The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, in a press conference, said that they would ensure the limitations of betting ads to keep the young generation out of the perception of betting and gambling.
“We are getting the balance right. Letting adults have a punt if they want to, but making sure our children don’t see betting ads everywhere they look. Because we don’t want kids growing up thinking that footy and gambling are inextricably linked,” Albanese told the National Press Club in April.
“We will ban all gambling ads on cross-promotional content”: Anthony Albanese on banning betting brands
In the press conference, Anthony Albanese also mentioned they have already initiated measures to limit the time slots for advertisements of the gambling ads on television, and gradually, they aim to ban all gambling ads on cross-promotional content.
“We will build on the reforms that we’ve already delivered to combat gambling harm. Between 6 am and 8.30 pm, we will cap the number of TV ads for betting agencies at a maximum of three per hour.”
“We will ban all gambling ads on cross-promotional content that mixes commentary with odds. We’ll end advertising on jerseys and jumpers and in stadiums, and will ban online advertising unless the user is verified as being over 18 and can opt out,” he added.