This time next week, we’ll know which song takes the cake in triple j’s Hottest 100 on Australia Day (PSA: you’ve got two days left to vote).

But while we celebrate one hundred winners - and certified bangers - there could be just as many losers, if you’ve decided to take a punt and collect a bonus bet on the world’s biggest music poll.

You might have seen an ad like this pop up in your newsfeed - offering bonus bets if you gamble on the Hottest 100.

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You could be thinking your knowledge on who will win is pretty well-informed, after all you can vote in the poll yourself.

But for young, first time gamblers who are tempted to take a punt, anti-gambling campaigners warn 'bonus bets' or even just creating a betting account can become a slippery slope to debt and addiction.

How bonus bets and credits work

Offering 'bonus bets' and unsolicited credit has become fairly common for online gambling sites like Sportsbet, Ladbrokes, Tom Waterhouse and Palmerbet (they all offer their own odds on the Hottest 100). But, if you read the fine print, bonus bets and unsolicited credit are outlawed in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

When someone like a bank lends you money, they have to make sure you're able to pay it back responsibly. Getting a credit card? They’ll need to check how much money you can reasonably spend each month. Applying for a loan? You’ll need to be approved.

But gambling companies don’t have the same rules, because they don't charge any fees or interest. Spending money you don’t actually have can get pretty ugly, pretty fast.

Last year, Senator Nick Xenophon said credits offered online were a dangerous, poorly regulated loophole.

"There's going to be a whole generation of young Australians who won't be able to afford to go on that overseas trip, or buy their first car or put a deposit on their first home."

What triple j thinks

triple j manager Chris Scaddan says the station doesn’t support this type of betting, and says there’s definitely better ways to spend your hard earned cash.

It is concerning that gambling companies are aiming directly at triple j listeners. We cater to a young audience, an audience that is at a very vulnerable point of their lives financially.

“We don’t encourage people to bet on the Hottest 100. If you’ve got some spare money, you should donate it to our partner charity, the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience.

“We can guarantee you that that will go to a positive cause. It’ll make you feel better about yourself than betting on the Hottest 100 will.”

Chris Scaddan says targeting young people with betting inducements is particularly worrying.

“When you’re young and new to having credit, you don’t have big pockets or big financial resources. You could find yourself in a lot of financial trouble really early on in your life.

“Ultimately you’re giving the betting company your money. That’s all they’re interested in. They want your money, they want you signed up to their app.

“We think the majority of triple j listeners are smart enough to see through campaigns like this.”

Why it’s a concern for young people

Serge Sardo, CEO of the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, says promotions targeted toward young people, like the Hottest 100 campaigns, are pandering to a vulnerable audience.

“About 20% of people with a gambling problem, based on our research, started gambling before they were 18,” Sardo explains. “So what we know is, the younger start gambling, the more likely you are to develop problems with gambling.”

We won’t know the impact of this for generations."

Today, Sportsbet told Hack that the Facebook ad - pictured near the top of this article - would not have been promoted to minors.

"The Triple J advertisement would not have been seen by persons under the age of 18 and would not have been displayed in a ‘non-logged in environment’. Anyone with FB [sic] aged under 18 would not have seen this ad."

They also said they're not aware of online promotions increasing problem gambling.

"Sportsbet is not aware of any evidence that indicates the availability of promotional offers to customers encourages or has increased the prevalence of problem gambling. The Productivity Commission found that making these types of offers to new customers is not necessarily harmful and that it merely promotes a competitive market."

Problem gambler backs call for online betting credit crackdown A man who has bet about $2.5 million supports calls by Senator Nick Xenophon and financial counsellors for the Federal Government to crackdown on rogue practices in the online gambling industry.

In November, Hack spoke to Anthony, who bet over $2.5 million - as a result of betting companies offering him more and more credit.

Anthony said lenders have dedicated staff to keep in touch with big-spending, problem gamblers like himself - offering him perks like free tickets to sport events. Although he started with small bets, once he passed a certain threshold — $500 in free bets, matched by his own $500 — it was "game on".

"They'll come at you thick and fast. They will have a dedicated person who will ring you and look after and email you.

"This person will offer you free sporting event tickets, free sport deposits, free bets for absolutely no reason. They'll find out what you like to do in your leisure time. They will become your best friend basically."

Acting within the law - but read the fine print

Betting on the Hottest 100, and offering bonus bets isn’t illegal in every state. But Serge Sardo says the rules used by betting companies are extremely convoluted - the terms and conditions can be up to 450 pages long.

It took one of our professors hours to understand exactly what a free bet actually meant.”

Back in November, Senator Nick Xenophon said problem gambling, and the rules around things like gambling ads on TV, should be taken to the people.

"We're already the number one country in the world in terms of losses, we're number one in the world in terms of problem gambling," he said.

"This needs to be an election issue."

Xenophon has proposed changes to the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, which would allow punters to self-exclude from online wagering services, set limits on monthly and yearly betting budgets and ban gambling advertisements during G-rated TV programs and sports broadcasts. The Senate committee is due to report back on the proposed changes in May.

Hack contacted the Australian Wagering Council, the peak industry body representing the interests of the online wagering and sports betting, but they declined to comment.

If you're struggling with a gambling problem, there is always someone you can talk to on 1800 858 858. If you don't feel like picking up the phone, you can chat to someone online here.