Passing the Buck (The_A_Mac)

Passing the Buck

Last Friday 27 May 2011, Senator Stephen Conroy announced plans that Federal and State governments across Australia will outlaw the advertising of live sport betting odds by broadcasters and at event venues by June 2012. Senator Conroy believes that "there's an insidious culture developing that is targeting the young as they are watching sporting events". This may be true, but will the cost of having multiple levels of government legislate the advertising of betting odds really alter this culture? I think not, it (gambling) is inherent in Australia's society. Whether it was in the goldfields of Ballarat where miners would gamble by panning without a license, or diggers on the shores of Gallipoli playing two-up in the quieter moments, or Victorians 'frocking up' and 'having a punt' on one of their most cherished public holidays on that first Tuesday in November.

Politicians must understand, whether you are watching the game at home, the pub or at the ground, viewers can remotely access these odds from an array of mobile devices. Perhaps more importantly they can place a bet without leaving their seat. So in an ever changing world, with new technologies developing at a rate defined by Moore's Law, legislation will never be the answer to this 'apparent' issue.

Knowing this politicians must asked themselves, what is the real issue here? Is it that government feels they have skirted the issue of limiting the exposure of gambling to Australia's youth, and failed to target the social issues surrounding problem gambling. Or are they more concerned about the level of revenue that football codes (AFL, NRL etc) and television networks receive from advertising these live odds. Should the latter be solely the case, the word hypocrisy may spring to mind given the revenue government receives from pokies.

Yes these leagues and they're broadcasters have a level or social responsibility, and there is no question that they are already aware of the consequences such advertising has on revenue. When questioned about the amount of revenue that passes through the hands of bookies during the course of a season AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou refused to comment. Surely a figure that would have been to hand during the recent negotiations for the TV broadcasters. However to Mr Demetriou's credit when asked if the AFL would act prematurely to the legislation, he answered in the affirmative.

Ultimately this may be a small step in limiting the exposure the youth has to gambling, but it won't even cause a ripple in the pool of money wagered on sporting matches. What really bothers me however is that before we (the nation) go down a path of costly legislative change, shouldn't the politicians have asked a couple of simple questions? How is this going to stop people receiving updates and placing bets on their mobile devices during matches, and couldn't we just ask these codes to stop advertising live odds. At the end of the day it may be easier for government to pass the buck, rather than really address the underlying social issues surrounding problem gambling.

The_A_Mac

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*Note The_A_Mac is the fourth member of the AussieSportsGuys team.