Love the Game, Not the Odds
Also: Love the Game · Love the Game Sporting Club Program
“Love the game, not the odds”
Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation campaign launched in September 2016 on TV, radio and online, showing how sports betting promotion changes the way children see sport, together with a sporting club programme in which clubs refuse betting sponsorship and run 'Love the Game' rounds; the club programme moved to Victoria's Department of Health when the Foundation closed in July 2024.
- Years
- 2016
- Country
- Australia
- Budget
- AUD 1.1 million for the first four-week advertising phase (Victorian Premier's release, 21 Sep 2016).
- Topic
- Gambling
- Asks people to
- Never startSupport a policyTalk to someone
- Strategy
- Environmental supportIndustry denormalizationTrusted messenger
- Channel
- EventsRadioSocial (paid)TVWebsite
- Audience
- ParentsYouthParents of children who play and watch sport, and community sporting clubs.
Evidence
NoneUnknown
No outcome evaluation found. The Foundation's pre-launch study found two-thirds of 152 sports fans aged 8-16 could recall at least one sports betting brand (baseline only). The Foundation commissioned Kinetica to review the club programme in 2017; findings not seen.
Sponsor (who paid)
- Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation Foreign government, creator and funder (2016-2024)
- Victorian Department of Health Foreign government, runs the club programme from July 2024
Credits (who made it)
Not recorded yet.
Sources
- Love The Game, Not The Odds (Premier of Victoria media release, 21 Sep 2016) sponsor · 2016
- Love the Game Round (Football Victoria, Aug 2019) news · 2019
- Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation: ceased operating 1 July 2024 (notice listing the Love the Game Sporting Club Program as moved to the Department of Health) sponsor
Research notes
Drafted by Claude (Claude Code) on 2026-10-28 for #130 from the sources listed; unreviewed, including the cardSummary. Started before 2018 but in scope because the club programme ran through 2019 (85 football clubs signed up for the 2019 Love the Game Round, per Football Victoria) and continues under the Department of Health. A second ad phase was planned for March-April 2017. Search results mention more than 500 partner clubs and a later 'Join the club' phase featuring elite players; not opened. Agency not identified (other VRGF campaigns used McCann Melbourne; don't assume). The baseline figure (two-thirds of 152 fans) is from the release; check before quoting.
Record cases/au-vic-love-the-game.json, updated 2026-10-28· Link to this campaign