The insidious side of gambling: AFL's Brendan Fevola betrays recovering addicts by promoting gateway gambling app
By
- Replies 8
There's no denying that Brendan Fevola is a household name, especially to the millions of Australians who are fans of AFL. After all, he's been regarded as one of the best full-forwards and one of the most controversial figures during his decade-long career in the league.
For any members who do not recognise Fevola, here's a brief introduction: the former footy star played in 204 games for Carlton and Brisbane and earned three All-Australian selections as a forward since 2006 and the Coleman Medal for the league's top goal scorer in 2006 and 2009 (kicking 84 and 86 goals, respectively).
His representative accomplishments include playing for Victoria, where he won the Allen Aylett Medal for being the top goal scorer and player on the state squad. From 2003 through 2009, he was Carlton's top goal scorer and a crucial forward for the team.
Despite being heralded as one of AFL's greatest, Fevola, like many other athletes, has undergone scrutiny for a string of controversies, including a nude photo scandal involving model Lara Bingle (now Lara Worthington) and an arrest, that ultimately ended his career with both of his clubs.
However, it was his gambling addiction that turned his life upside down.
In 2021, the former athlete revealed that he was 'forced to file for bankruptcy in 2013 and even went to the length of selling his Coleman Medal to fund his addiction’.
Apparently, his longstanding battle with gambling severed not only his ties with his clubs but also his relationship with his family. This is often the case when it comes to addictions.
Brendan Fevola was renowned for his achievements in the AFL but has since become the subject of a string of scandals. Credit: Nine.
Speaking to Nova FM in 2017, Fevola confessed that the worst part of his addiction was how it affected his family, particularly his children Leni, Lulu, Tobi, and Mia.
He shared: 'I did (lose a lot of our savings) and hence why Alex (his wife) left the first time when we were in Brisbane.'
'She went back because of the gambling. Now she looks after a lot of the accounts which is good.'
'I said to myself then I didn’t lose that ($360,000) because I’d already won it, so it’s so weird. But you did, you lost it.'
'The worst thing is it didn’t actually affect me too much but it affects your family and that’s the bottom line, Alex and the kids.'
'It’s an addictive thing, it’s a really bad addiction to have and it obviously cripples a lot of people’s lives.'
Fevola also admitted that he registered and spent more than 60 days in rehab.
However, the former footy star is once again back in the headlines after thousands of Australians called him out for endorsing a gambling app, which has been dubbed 'a gateway to gambling addiction’.
In videos posted to Instagram this week, Fevola and Love Island Australia competitor Dom Thomas demonstrated how to use the Slotomania app.
Brendan Fevola and Love Island Australia star Dom Thomas have gone under scrutiny after posting a video demonstrating how to use a gambling app on their Instagram stories. Credit: The Daily Telegraph.
Reverend Tim Costello of the Alliance for Gambling Reform criticised the two, specifically targeting Fevola because of his earlier admissions of having a gambling addiction.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Costello said: 'This awful game being promoted by Dom Thomas and Brendan Fevola is a gateway to gambling addiction and a very real concern with so many of us staying at home during the COVID-19 crisis.'
'It’s incredibly disappointing to see Brendan promoting this given his own gambling issues. He should know better and he shouldn’t want anyone else to go through what he did in losing his fortune to gambling.'
Social media users also took to the internet to express their ‘dismay’ over the former athlete’s actions.
One person said: ‘I disrespect him now. Absolute joke.’
‘Gambling is a BIG reason I've lost interest in the AFL, and TV,’ another added.
However, other people defended him, with many speculating that he probably needed the money that’s why he agreed to do those ads and placing the blame on the company for hiring him instead.
One comment read: ‘He was caught out spruiking for gambling apps on his social media account about two years ago. My guess is that he wanted the money and didn't care that he would be promoting gambling.’
‘He probably owes money to the betting company and is paying off his debt by doing ads for them. There’s a bit of that going around,’ another argued.
Fevola aside, Australia has the worst rates of gambling addictions in the world. So shouldn’t we be doing something to help Aussies tackle this addiction?
Reports suggest that Australia is a gambling nation, with several of its citizens experiencing a gambling addiction. Credit: Scientific American via Getty Images.
In a report published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in 2021, it was stated that in 2018–19, Australians lost almost $25 billion through legal gambling, the highest per capita loss in the world.
Additionally, estimates suggested that 35% of Australians aged 18 and over (or about 6.5 million people) spent money on 1 or more gambling activities in a 'typical month' (classified as 'frequent gambling') in 2018.
'What starts as fun can become a serious problem if it begins to negatively affect your daily life or cause financial problems,' a statement on ReachOut Australia's website read.
The mental health service provider also claimed that every high school class in the country contains one youngster with a gambling problem on average.
While the debate on whether the federal government is giving enough attention to this national issue or not has been reignited by Fevola’s recent activities, it can’t be denied that gambling has slowly been ingrained into our society.
We want to hear your thoughts: Do you think that celebrities or people with a large following have to take responsibility for the products and services they promote? Is it okay for someone who has spoken out about how their addiction was so severe that they had to declare bankruptcy, to then advertise for the very thing that caused their bankruptcy in the first place? And lastly, should the Australian government be doing more to stop gambling from being so heavily promoted, especially in sports? Share your insights with us in the comments below!
For any members who do not recognise Fevola, here's a brief introduction: the former footy star played in 204 games for Carlton and Brisbane and earned three All-Australian selections as a forward since 2006 and the Coleman Medal for the league's top goal scorer in 2006 and 2009 (kicking 84 and 86 goals, respectively).
His representative accomplishments include playing for Victoria, where he won the Allen Aylett Medal for being the top goal scorer and player on the state squad. From 2003 through 2009, he was Carlton's top goal scorer and a crucial forward for the team.
Despite being heralded as one of AFL's greatest, Fevola, like many other athletes, has undergone scrutiny for a string of controversies, including a nude photo scandal involving model Lara Bingle (now Lara Worthington) and an arrest, that ultimately ended his career with both of his clubs.
However, it was his gambling addiction that turned his life upside down.
In 2021, the former athlete revealed that he was 'forced to file for bankruptcy in 2013 and even went to the length of selling his Coleman Medal to fund his addiction’.
Apparently, his longstanding battle with gambling severed not only his ties with his clubs but also his relationship with his family. This is often the case when it comes to addictions.
Brendan Fevola was renowned for his achievements in the AFL but has since become the subject of a string of scandals. Credit: Nine.
Speaking to Nova FM in 2017, Fevola confessed that the worst part of his addiction was how it affected his family, particularly his children Leni, Lulu, Tobi, and Mia.
He shared: 'I did (lose a lot of our savings) and hence why Alex (his wife) left the first time when we were in Brisbane.'
'She went back because of the gambling. Now she looks after a lot of the accounts which is good.'
'I said to myself then I didn’t lose that ($360,000) because I’d already won it, so it’s so weird. But you did, you lost it.'
'The worst thing is it didn’t actually affect me too much but it affects your family and that’s the bottom line, Alex and the kids.'
'It’s an addictive thing, it’s a really bad addiction to have and it obviously cripples a lot of people’s lives.'
Fevola also admitted that he registered and spent more than 60 days in rehab.
However, the former footy star is once again back in the headlines after thousands of Australians called him out for endorsing a gambling app, which has been dubbed 'a gateway to gambling addiction’.
In videos posted to Instagram this week, Fevola and Love Island Australia competitor Dom Thomas demonstrated how to use the Slotomania app.
Brendan Fevola and Love Island Australia star Dom Thomas have gone under scrutiny after posting a video demonstrating how to use a gambling app on their Instagram stories. Credit: The Daily Telegraph.
Reverend Tim Costello of the Alliance for Gambling Reform criticised the two, specifically targeting Fevola because of his earlier admissions of having a gambling addiction.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Costello said: 'This awful game being promoted by Dom Thomas and Brendan Fevola is a gateway to gambling addiction and a very real concern with so many of us staying at home during the COVID-19 crisis.'
'It’s incredibly disappointing to see Brendan promoting this given his own gambling issues. He should know better and he shouldn’t want anyone else to go through what he did in losing his fortune to gambling.'
Social media users also took to the internet to express their ‘dismay’ over the former athlete’s actions.
One person said: ‘I disrespect him now. Absolute joke.’
‘Gambling is a BIG reason I've lost interest in the AFL, and TV,’ another added.
However, other people defended him, with many speculating that he probably needed the money that’s why he agreed to do those ads and placing the blame on the company for hiring him instead.
One comment read: ‘He was caught out spruiking for gambling apps on his social media account about two years ago. My guess is that he wanted the money and didn't care that he would be promoting gambling.’
‘He probably owes money to the betting company and is paying off his debt by doing ads for them. There’s a bit of that going around,’ another argued.
Fevola aside, Australia has the worst rates of gambling addictions in the world. So shouldn’t we be doing something to help Aussies tackle this addiction?
Reports suggest that Australia is a gambling nation, with several of its citizens experiencing a gambling addiction. Credit: Scientific American via Getty Images.
In a report published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in 2021, it was stated that in 2018–19, Australians lost almost $25 billion through legal gambling, the highest per capita loss in the world.
Additionally, estimates suggested that 35% of Australians aged 18 and over (or about 6.5 million people) spent money on 1 or more gambling activities in a 'typical month' (classified as 'frequent gambling') in 2018.
'What starts as fun can become a serious problem if it begins to negatively affect your daily life or cause financial problems,' a statement on ReachOut Australia's website read.
The mental health service provider also claimed that every high school class in the country contains one youngster with a gambling problem on average.
While the debate on whether the federal government is giving enough attention to this national issue or not has been reignited by Fevola’s recent activities, it can’t be denied that gambling has slowly been ingrained into our society.
We want to hear your thoughts: Do you think that celebrities or people with a large following have to take responsibility for the products and services they promote? Is it okay for someone who has spoken out about how their addiction was so severe that they had to declare bankruptcy, to then advertise for the very thing that caused their bankruptcy in the first place? And lastly, should the Australian government be doing more to stop gambling from being so heavily promoted, especially in sports? Share your insights with us in the comments below!