A new Responsible Gambling Ambassador campaign has been established to promote responsible gambling messages in grass-roots sporting organisations throughout Victoria.
Spearheaded by the Essendon Football Club, the campaign is made up of six current and former elite athletes - including Essendon’s responsible gambling ambassador Scott Lucas - and is supported by North Melbourne Football Club, Melbourne Vixens, Victorian Institute of Sport, Melbourne Tigers and Tennis Australia.
The Responsible Gambling Ambassador campaign was established on the back of the Victorian Elite Sport Gambling Taskforce which was formed in 2007 and involves a collective approach from major sporting codes across Victoria to tackling issues surrounding problem gambling.
The objective of the campaign is to leverage the role that sporting clubs play in creating strong communities by using current and former elite athletes to promote responsible gambling messages at grass roots level. This will be achieved by delivering preventative messages that teach people how to avoid the pitfalls of problem gambling and stay in control of their gambling and maintain broader health and wellbeing.
The program will be promoted across a series of local newspaper columns, stakeholder partner websites and through the distribution of educational collateral material to local sporting clubs in Victoria.
Chris Anstey and the Melbourne Tigers are pleased to participate in the campaign and highlighted the role that sport can play in delivering responsible gambling messages.
“Sport can teach you how to enjoy contests without having to gambling on them. You can achieve so much within sport just by participating and being involved in a team. Sport is often about winning or losing - but it doesn’t have to always do with money, ” Anstey said.
Fellow Ambassador and recently appointed Davis Cup Captain Todd Woodbridge has also pledged his support behind the campaign, along with Tennis Australia.
“One of the great things about sport is getting people actively involved in the community - sporting clubs create a positive environment and help develop strong support networks from which healthy lifestyle messages can be delivered,” Woodbridge said.
Ambassadors and sporting organisations involved in the campaign are:
Scott Lucas - Essendon Football Club
Josh Gibson - North Melbourne Football Club
Bianca Chatfield - Melbourne Vixens
Kim Crowe - Victorian Institute of Sport
Chris Anstey - Melbourne Tigers
Todd Woodbridge – Tennis Australia
