Brendan Fevola and Love Island’s Dom Thomas are slammed for promoting an online poker machine game described as ‘a gateway to gambling addiction’
Former AFL player Brendan Fevola and Love Island Australia’s Dom Thomas have sparked controversy by promoting an online poker machine game this week.
On Thursday, they were slammed by a spokesperson from the Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR), who said the promotion was ‘a gateway to gambling addiction’.
Brendan and Dom had both demonstrated how to use the Slotomania app on their Instagram Stories, encouraging their followers to download it and play.
Controversy: Brendan Fevola (left) and Love Island’s Dom Thomas (right) have been slammed for promoting an online poker machine game described as ‘a gateway to gambling addiction’
‘This awful game (Slotomania) 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,’ AGR’s Reverend Tim Costello told The Daily Telegraph.
‘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.’
Brendan has made no secret of his past gambling issues. In 2017, he revealed he had lost $360,000 in four days betting on horses at the height of his gambling addiction.
‘This awful game… is a gateway to gambling addiction and a very real concern with so many of us staying at home during the COVID-19 crisis,’ anti-gambling lobbyist Reverend Tim Costello said on Friday. Pictured: Brendan and Dom’s Instagram posts promoting the Slotomania app
The Reverend said the gambling industry uses influencers and sports stars to reach younger audiences and glamorise gambling.
In Brendan’s promotional video, he opened up the Slotomania app on his tablet and included a swipe-up link to download it.
Dom also included a download link, and described the app as the ‘perfect’ game to pass the time while ‘extremely bored’ at home in lockdown.
‘He should know better’: Reverend Costello said it was ‘disappointing’ to see Brendan promote the app since he has had gambling issues in the past. In 2017, the former Carlton star revealed he had lost $360,000 in four days betting on horses at the height of his gambling addiction
‘Me and mates would go to pub normally and have a beer, have a bit of a slap,’ Dom said in the video.
‘This here is perfect because you can spin from home for one but also it’s not real money so you are not actually gambling.’
The Slotomania app does not cost money to play but does feature in-game purchases for players who want extra features.
A gateway to gambling? ‘This here is perfect because you can spin from home for one but also it’s not real money so you are not actually gambling,’ Dom said