The betting agency has run campaigns surrounding the same-sex marriage postal survey on various platforms including Twitter and Instagram, offering punters the opportunity to place bets on the final result, how many votes will be cast in the ballot and the percentage in favour of same-sex marriage in Australia.

At the time of publishing, Sportsbet will offer $1.38 for a ‘Yes’ vote and $3 for ‘No’.

According to BettingSite.com.au, 62 per cent of bets towards the site have been for the ‘Yes’ campaign.

“If the sentiment from our customers is any guide, the Yes vote will be the winner in the postal vote and it’s becoming more and more apparent every day,” Sportsbet.com.au’s Christian Jantzen told the site.

But for social media users and one of the ‘Yes’ campaigns most familiar faces, Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, the use of the same-sex marriage debate for the betting market is a “whole new low”. It’s not the first time they’ve been criticised.

“To vote on the validity of some Australians’ relationships is bad enough, but to bet on them is a whole new low,” Sydney MP and prominent Yes figure Alex Greenwich told the ABC.

“I think Sportsbet, to be making money on this process, is deeply concerning,” he said.

Mr Greenwich suggested the company donate the money to charity, considering the lack of empathy over the mental health of the LGBTI community.

But Sportsbet say they’ve done nothing wrong, claiming the site offers bets on different markets and political issues across the globe.

“We haven’t had people letting us know it’s been a problem now or in the past five years,” a spokesman said.

“I think the postal vote is distressing people, not the market, because this has been here for five years.”

But advocates disagree. One Victorian man, Matt Davis, vented his anger on Facebook.

“My rights — my friends’ rights, my family members’ rights — are not a game; our (the Queer community’s) rights are not a joke for you to gamble on,” he said.