It’s only round three and already a new face in the game has caught the ire of NRL fans. No, it’s not Dodgy Doctor Stephen Dank or CEO Dave Smith. This week the villain is Tom Waterhouse.
The excitable young bookie has landed himself a deal at Channel Nine and paid big dollars to exclusively advertise his betting agency TomWaterhouse.com.
What’s different to past deals is his position on the panel as a commentator. As well as seeing his ads in the breaks, his on-field appearances before the game and during the game (where he gives the latest odds and promotes his betting website), he now takes a place on the panel after the game.
Here’s a bookie dressed up as a commentator discussing tips and betting options for the football and horse races with regular panellists Ray Warren and Peter Sterling.
It’s since been suggested this kind of set-up is cash for comment. Waterhouse has bought himself a place on our TV screens and his ‘tips’ and ‘advice’ are purely for his business interests and not that of the viewing audience.
To prove the point: last week on Friday night, after the Broncos Manly game, the panel discussed the chances of some of the horses racing the following day. Waterhouse spoke highly of Laser Hawk (a horse trained by his Mum, Gai Waterhouse). The next morning the horse was scratched. So much for inside information and giving the punter a leg-up!
Waterhouse’s presence on Nine has not been received well by many NRL fans. Twitter exploded during Nine’s NRL telecast with the hashtag #fuckofftom quickly becoming a sensation.
Rugby league is for everyone, especially kids, so how can this presence of gambling, constantly seeing the market odds as a match statistic, the call to action every ten or so minutes by Tom Waterhouse (and the other betting agencies involved in NRL) prompting the viewer to go and bet – be acceptable?
There is a growing trend of young people with gambling problems and it seems the game they love and support doesn’t give a toss about them.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports “Waterhouse has reportedly agreed to a deal worth $50 million over five years to become the NRL’s gambling partner from this season. He cut a side deal with Channel Nine, worth $15 million, for exclusive access to live coverage of rugby league and appearances on the league and AFL footy shows.”
That’s five years NRL fans need to get used to seeing Tom smile his smarmy smile as he tries to convince you to, ‘get the competitive advantage and bet with Tom Waterhouse today’.
In some ways I feel sorry for Tom and this backlash against him. He is passionate about the role he is fulfilling. You see him rehearsing his lines on the sideline and when he does talk on air, it’s with gusto and enthusiasm.
Then I remember he’s mega rich, is peddling an evil and profiting off others unhappiness. Tom however looks like he’s just happy to be there – like a genuine fan at times surrounded by his sporting heroes.
Of course he’s happy – he doesn’t just have his finger in the pie, he’s up to his neck in it! There’s not a sporting fan out there by now who doesn’t know Tom Waterhouse and the Tom Waterhouse message.
TW’s paid big money to be there but I think he’ll go the way of smoking. There’s no need for it and soon enough people will get sick of the smell.
Already journalist Peter FitzSimons is being sued for defamation by Tom Waterhouse after he questioned the Channel Nine deal and role gambling has in sport. There’s also a petition going around to remove him.
His presence is becoming a topic in the news as well.
I’ve heard the expression ‘the image of the game – the image of the product, is everything’. And the NRL goes to great lengths to protect its image, its brand. Why then associate with gambling agencies?
The NRL has faced a lot of negative publicity and scandals in the past and is now facing its greatest challenge in dealing with the ASADA scandal and the Crime Commission. Worldwide there are reports of match fixing and corruption in sport. Betting agencies help facilitate this corruption.
They are part of the problem that could potentially jeopardise the future and the integrity of the sport – and it’s already happened once.
The other corruption they facilitate is a moral one. Nathan Hindmarsh and Ben Barba said they’ve lost a lot to gambling and it impacted their lives negatively. If men abuse their right to gamble and gamble irresponsibly to the point it becomes a depression, why is it on our screens before an audience, many of whom are impressionable young people?
Sport and punting go hand in hand. Australia is a betting nation as well as one that gets its identity through sport. Those who follow sport like to profit off the knowledge years of watching teams and the game has given them. These people don’t need Tom Waterhouse – we already know the odds!
This is just one in a series of double standards promoted by the NRL and Channel Nine. They have the eat well, live well, NRL type initiatives promoting healthy life choices for children. So what messages do they send when in the next breath they promote sponsors like Victoria Bitter, Coca Cola, KFC and now Tom Waterhouse?
Peter FitzSimons believes we are failing our children by letting this go on. It’s hard to disagree. Can we trust Tom Waterhouse? He comes across as if he’s our friend but he wins when we lose.
He’s come in without the NRL background of other commentators. The only reason he’s there is he’s bought his way in.
How wise is it to own a betting account anyway? Australia is a betting nation. Is it such a bad thing to be restricted to pubs and TABs? Do you need to bet on your phone?
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All the team list information for Round 8.
