The Sydney Kings and Sydney Uni Flames have joined the Reclaim the Game initiative, becoming the first Australian basketball clubs to do so.

The Reclaim the Game partnership will result in the rejection of sports betting and sponsorship advertising for the Sydney-based clubs.

Reclaim the Game is a government-led initiative from The Office of Responsible Gambling that aims to counter the normalisation of sports betting and advertising and to raise awareness of the potential harm of gambling.

Other Australian sporting clubs have already become partners with Reclaim the Game, including AFL’s Sydney Swans, cricket’s Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder, and A-league’s Western Sydney Wanderers FC and Macarthur FC.

Sydney Kings and Sydney Uni Flames chairman and owner, Paul Smith, said the partnership is important.

“It speaks to our commitment to social and community responsibility,” Smith said.

“Our own players have been victim to abuse on social media because betting got out of hand.

“By working with GambleAware, we are encouraging our fans and the community to stay within their means and to not let betting take away from what sport should be about,” he said.

More than $270 million was spent on gambling advertising in Australia in 2018.

Recent research by the Office of Responsible Gambling revealed 77% of the community believe there is too much gambling advertising, with four in five believing advertising increases the risk of developing a problem with gambling.

Office of Responsible Gambling director, Natalie Wright, said: “Reclaim the Game is about creating a space for fans to enjoy sport without betting advertising and reducing their exposure to advertising and promotions which can lead to risky gambling.”

The Office of Responsible Gambling is in discussions with other clubs and expects to announce new Reclaim the Game partners in 2022.