Australian sportsmen from several codes have spoken out against gamblers who abuse players on social media when they lose bets, after an Australian Rules player said that he had received death threats.
Greater Western Sydney Giants’ Callan Ward said that threats were made on an Instagram post featuring his young son after he was awarded a decisive late free kick in an Australian Football League (AFL) win over the Essendon Bombers at the weekend.
While Callan said the threats were the result of misplaced passion, Brisbane Lions player Mitch Robinson posted a strongly worded message on Twitter yesterday linking abuse to gambling.
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“Public announcement!” he wrote. “Not one AFL player [cares] how we cost you a $100 multi, it’s $5 bet you idiot.”
“If you’re struggling with that amount please don’t punt in the first place,” Robinson wrote.
Australian former NBA player Andrew Bogut chimed in, saying that if the abuse from disgruntled punters did not cease the government could start talking about banning gambling.
“Place a bet. Lose. Be an adult about it,” he wrote on on Twitter.
Ryan Papenhuyzen, a rising talent in the National Rugby League with the Melbourne Storm, said most sportsmen in Australia would have received similar abuse.
“Lots of the boys after a game do get a fair bit of stick from fans and punters,” he said. “We don’t go out there to lose people’s bets ... hopefully more is done around that because the toll it has on players is pretty massive.”
Australia has one of the highest rates of gambling in the world with the nation betting more than A$200 billion (US$142.9 billion) a year, government statistics showed.
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