How 1 in 4 TV adverts in tennis final was for betting
THOUSAnDS of fans might have been tuning in for the tennis when they sat down to watch Roger Federer secure his 20th Grand Slam victory in the Australian Open final on Sunday.
But viewers – including many children – got a lot more than sport when gambling firms bombarded them with a constant stream of adverts from as early as 8.15am.
Of the 20 advert breaks during the game, which was over before midday, 19 contained at least one advert for a betting firm, the Mail Daily found.
And in total, 21 gambling adverts were broadcast on British eurosport during its four-and-a-half-hour coverage of the final, in which Federer defeated Marin Cilic in five sets.
Almost a quarter of all adverts broadcast during the match, which began at 8.30am, were for gambling firms.
The first advert, during the pre-match build-up, was shown for Betway at 8.15am. It promoted the firm’s in-play odds and showed two men lying on a life raft being circled by sharks, with one saying: ‘Two sets to one, still time… a little flutter with Betway, I think.’
The other gambling companies that advertised during the game were Coral, William Hill, Ladbrokes and Bet365.
The adverts encourage viewers to sign up to gambling websites with the lure of boosted odds and free bets.
One commercial for Bet365, which was first broadcast at 9.31am, was fronted by actor Ray Winstone and repeated in several other advertising breaks.
The advert promoted the ease of online gambling with the boast: ‘We can cross continents and time zones at the mere touch of a button.’
An advert for Ladbrokes, presented by Chris Kamara, tried to entice viewers with the promise of ‘five in-play Odds Boosts at the Australian Open every day’.
It was the latest example of how children are bombarded with betting adverts before the 9pm watershed, amid warnings that it risks ‘normalising’ gambling.
It comes after the Mail revealed that all 26 live football matches screened over Christmas had at least five gambling adverts before the watershed.