Australian
Sports Betting Worries Sport Bosses, by Greg Tingle - 20th May 2011
Profiles Sports
Sports Betting
Daily Fantasy
Sports Entertainment
Australia
The sports betting sector
continues to be red hot political and legal potato in Australia, and it has many
a sports boss worried, as well as administrators of Australia's Olympic body,
with Aussie Olympic athletes being red the riot act. Media Man gets you up to
speed with the latest in the Australian sports betting industry, which is already
having international consequences... Aussie
Sports Bosses Worried About Sports Betting... Think
you know all there is about the politics and proposed laws re sports betting in
Australia? Think again. The
money men - the top brass behind the elite sports codes in Australia just yesterday
expressed their unease at the full on advertising delivered by enthusiastic promoter
types in the betting agencies. The
money stream for the sporting codes has been a financial shot in the arm for pro
sports, but many now question at what cost. Most
advertising budgets in Australia have slowed over the last few years, but not
sorts betting, a close cousin to gambling. Live
betting - exotic betting - are the forms of sports betting which have the majority
of sports code bosses very worried, and we all know there's been a few scandals
with the "exotics", and we're not talking about casino babes or sports
babes folks. The
prestigious Tattersall's CEO's Sports Luncheon was held yesterday with reps from
the AFL, NRL, ARU, FFA and Cricket Australia going on record that they felt somewhat
uneasy with the tactics being employed by gambling firms, despite the big bucks
they made from the association with sports betting. "I
think I speak for all of us when I say some of that more aggressive 'bet now'
advertising is concerning us," NRL boss David Gallop said. "We would
prefer to see that in a less aggressive mode. But it's difficult when the media
outlets are going to take that advertising anyway, so the sports need to be in
control of it." After
demonstrating initial caution, the Australian Football League has embraced the
gambling universe, even permitting teams to accept gambling organisations as jersey,
sports and internet sports sponsors, as plugging live odds on the AFL website
during matches and showing live match odds on the scoreboard during games as part
of an agreement with Betfair. AFL
chief exec Andrew Demetriou said it was issue beyond sport. "If it's in your
face at the football, it can be really off-putting," he said. "But let's
not delude ourselves; don't just concentrate this on the sports. The newspapers
are littered with advertising about sports betting. Let's look at issues across
the board, not just in sport. We're genuinely trying to do the right thing. Once
sports betting became deregulated
everyone became exposed to it, not just
kids at the football." Australian
Rugby Union top dog John O'Neill stated the massive money being thrown around
by gambling firms had inevitably bought them a slice of power. "We
certainly do express a view if it's in your face, it's over the top. But that's
the level of influence [they now have]," he said. "There is a source
of revenue there." Assurances that all professional sporting events are not
tampered with by bookmakers - or that players, coaches or officials are not betting
on outcomes - has added another layer to the complex relationship between sports
and agencies. Cricket
Australia exec James Sutherland advised all sports had to retain their integrity
to survive. "The
critical issue for us is that the success of sport is built on the connection
between the fan and the sport. They need to know this is a real contest, this
is the real thing," he said. "If there is any question or taint around
that then the integrity and value of the sport is significantly downgraded. That's
something we're very conscious of. We can't have corruption in our game." Federal
Sports Minister Mark Arbib has expressed his support for tougher match-fixing
laws, and is due to meet his state counterparts next month. Just
when all the confusion will come to an end is anyone's bet. Gambling
continues to be one of the world's most successful industries and most popular
pastimes, and Aussie gamblers - sports betters are some of the most popular in
the world. With
the Aussie news media and internet push on it seems unlikely that sports betting
offline or online are going to decline in popularity any time soon. All gambling
sub sectors are generally on the increase with the public, and now it just seems
that all regulations across the board need to get up to speed with the reality
of internet sports betting. You can bet legal eagles will continue to be busy
and media reports will continue to be pumped out, keeping punters, politicians
and all other interested parties abreast of the latest news. What else is left
to say than good punting, and bet with your head, not over it.
Australian Olympic Committee Says Illegal Sports Betting Biggest Risk...
Aussie
Olympic athletes set to head off the Olympic Games in London next year will be
required to obey new laws designed to stop illegal betting. The
Australian Olympic Committee annual general meeting was held yesterday. Plenty
of top brass was present including AOC president John Coates and the Federal Minister
for Sport Mark Arbib. They are so worried they rate illegal betting as big a risk
as doping in the 1980s and 1990s. Coates
wants a national sports betting authority independent of any sport and their official
bodies and handed federal powers and resources. In
a curious tactic, the AOC's 2012 team membership agreement has also been tweaked
to limit the prospect of a selected Aussie athlete betting on themselves or anyone
else during the Games in London. Coates
is happy to punish offenders by "naming and shaming" them. Arbib said
he supported a prop for jail sentences of up to a decade for anyone found guilty. The
illegal betting industry, Arbib said, is worth roughly $140 billion a year, and
has now spread like wildfire globally. He thinks that the battle to combat illegal
betting will need the co operation of governments, sporting federations and legal
betting agencies if it is to be won. Coates
said that athletes who still did not fully comprehend what was at stake would
certainly do so by the time they had put on their green and gold team colours
and were on a flight to London. He advised athletes will all be fully briefed
before the Games, and the changed clauses in their agreements will be outlined.
"In our team membership agreements, we have always had clauses in there that
prohibited involvement by our team members in betting on Olympic Games, on other
athletes or themselves," Coates said after the meeting. "We are just
making [it] more specific." "We
have added the references to prohibition to illegal and irregular gambling betting
to our ethical behaviour by-laws
that will be in place, the athletes will
be briefed on it. It will be made very clear to them that we will not tolerate
any betting during the Olympic Games." Coates
also advised that punishment for an infraction would not only come from the AOC.
Senator Arbib didn't shy away from outlining how strong a stand he plans on taking. "The
NSW Law Reform Commission have talked about penalties for up to 10 years for match
fixing. That is something I support," he said. "This
is a very serious crime and there are large sums of money involved internationally.
''We need to send a strong message to those people who are involved in match fixing
[and] those people involved in illegal gambling that government will act. "We
will act together with the sports and the betting agencies and we are going to
take the toughest stance possible." Coates
went thought a 7-point mandate for the national sports betting authority. He's
hopeful that Prime Minister Julia Gillard will endorse it and see it become a
reality. Investigate
cheating and fraudulent conduct with necessary powers to phone tap, subpoena and
seize information and exemption from privacy legislation. Undertake
effective national liaison and information sharing with the Australian Federal
Police, Australia Tax Office and other federal agencies, and the State and Territory
police. Undertake
effective international liaison and information sharing with other governments,
international sports bodies and agencies. Establish
a comprehensive code of conduct for all sporting bodies. Establish
guidelines for minimum and consistent penalties across sports at all levels and
the means to ensure they are applied. Record
the names of offending athletes, officials, clubs and third parties of ill-repute
on a public register, and undertake education of coaches and officials. Folks,
with list or will it come to pass and become written in law? Tipsters advise we
may know in the coming weeks, and no, we are not taking bets on it before you
ask, but feel free to check out other gaming and betting promotions right here. Profiles Sports Sports
Betting Australian
Sports News
News Sports
News
|