Tabcorp jelly beans start a political storm in a teacup

Australian betting giant Tabcorp came under fire from a Green Party politician this week over its “Nothing’s as sweet as a win” PR promo, which involved handing out packets of jelly beans at a busy railway hub in Sydney.

One of those who was handed a bag of the candies bearing the promo slogan turned out to be Greens MLC Justin Field, who has suggested that the promo is inappropriate and illegal in terms of gambling laws.

Speaking to the publication BuzzFeed, Field pointed out that there were at least three individuals wearing TAB-branded clothing handing out the small bags of sweets, which had stickers bearing the tab.com.au logo and the phrase “Nothing’s as sweet as a win”. There were no gambling warnings on the label, he claimed.

Field argued that jelly beans are a product that appeals to kids, and the placement of the sticker is inappropriate. The bags would be taken home and made available to children in some cases he claimed, complaining:

“It’s the insidious nature of gambling advertising. It’s really permeating all aspects of our lives at the moment… This is the next level of gambling and gambling messages in our lives.”

A spokesperson for Tabcorp told BuzzFeed that the jelly beans were to mark the beginning of a NSW racing event.

“The promotion targeted only people aged 25 or over and was carried out in central Sydney to mark the beginning of New South Wales’ premier autumn racing event, the Championships,” he said.
“The material – stress balls, mints and jelly beans – featured only general TAB branding and contained no promotion of odds or direct encouragement to place a bet.”

Related and similar