The Illawarra Hawks have joined the Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames as partners in the NSW Government’s Reclaim the Game program, offering fans a new chapter to enjoy the National Basketball League (NBL) and Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) without being bombarded by betting ads.

Liquor & Gaming NSW Policy and Programs A/Executive Director Natalie Wright said the Reclaim the Game partnerships allowed fans to watch the game and barrack for their favourite clubs, with less distraction from sports betting advertising.

“We are pleased to see the collective commitment to Reclaim the Game, which challenges the normalisation of sports betting and advertising in sport,” Ms Wright said.

“For all NSW-based NBL teams to take this stand sends a powerful message, especially to younger fans.”

“You can watch and enjoy basketball for the action, rather than the odds.”

Under this initiative, the Illawarra Hawks, Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames have all pledged to decline sports betting sponsorships and help reduce the amount of betting advertising in the NBL and WNBL for the next two seasons.

As well as the clubs, the fans are also on board with a Reclaim the Game survey revealing that 86% of Kings supporters and 93% of Flames fans believe excessive gambling advertising is concerning.

Illawarra Hawks General Manager Commercial Sam Attrill said the Reclaim the Game partnership will play a meaningful role in educating the community about sports betting and gambling risks.

“We look forward to welcoming our members, fans, and partners to WIN Entertainment Centre this season to enjoy the excitement of Hawks basketball with family and friends without the distraction of betting.” Mr Attrill said.

Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames Chairman Paul Smith said the clubs are doing their part to promote responsible behaviour towards gambling.

“It is our fundamental duty to support the well-being of players, community and sports integrity.” Mr Smith said.

The NSW Government’s Reclaim the Game program has been a huge success boasting 10 partners across 16 teams in five sporting codes including AFL, NRL, A-League and cricket.

The initiative has reached millions through more than 200 home games, both on TV and in stadiums.

Pace-O-Matic, the industry leader in legal skill games, would like to congratulate the United States casino industry and the American Gaming Association (AGA) on reporting their best July in history.

According to the AGA, the national trade association for the gambling industry, commercial casinos made nearly $5.4 billion in July of this year, up nearly 6% from last year. They AGA also reported that the casino industry will surely have its best year yet in 2023, having made nearly $38 billion since the beginning of the year. That’s an 11% increase over 2022.

Curiously, the casino industry reports record profits month after month while simultaneously touting legal skill games as a hindrance to their revenue. The casinos and AGA have waged a full-scale attack on the skill game industry in several states. Those states include Pennsylvania and Virginia where the AGA notably reported that casinos in those markets helped hit a new monthly record for in-person gambling.

“We may sound like a broken record when we continue to send our congratulatory notes to the casino industry but that’s because they continue to report record profits over and over again,” the Chief Public Affairs Officer for Pace-O-Matic, Mike Barley, said. “We will continue to point out their hypocrisy as long as they continue to attack legal skill games, which are supporting small businesses and fraternal organizations in many states.”

Skill games provide critical revenue to restaurants, bars, taverns, VFW halls and American Legion posts throughout the country. They help struggling mom-and-pop shops afford things like bills, updates and wages in a tough economy. The skill game industry has routinely asked to be regulated in markets and has faced opposition from the casino industry every time.

“We take no issue with the casinos and the evidence shows that we can coexist with them in a regulated market,” said Barley. “But it seems that the casino industry will rest at nothing until they stamp out any perceived competition. Studies have shown that skill games have no impact on casinos and their own financial reports back that up.”

Pace-O-Matic is the leading developer of legally compliant skill games in the United States, creating and marketing fun and exciting games for small businesses and fraternal and social clubs. With games in several markets across the nation, customers enjoy using their skill and patience to win.