The move during the week to give betting agencies 12 months to self-regulate their in-play advertising is long overdue, and frankly 12 months is far too generous a time frame in which to do so.
The move – welcomed by many in the government who have dragged their heels over public perception of the practice – does not prevent advertising but simply restricts sports commentators in communicating live odds in play. Even then, The Sydney Morning Herald cites that they will only legislate to ban “frequent mention” of live odds; quite a fluid term if ever there was one.
There needs to be more specific and targeted legislation from the government regarding this practice, as any creative sports betting executive worth their salt could find alternative methods of communicating odds. What is to stop a rolling digital advertising board at Centrebet Stadium displaying overs/unders and line markets in a Penrith home game?
Already Betfair has indicated they would lobby the government to stop restrictions on stadium signage, so rather than the occasional mention of live odds by broadcasters we could likely now be peppered with on-field advertising instead.
The response from the agencies themselves has been terribly predictable and gives the impression that they can’t believe they have gotten away with such a practice for so long. A Betfair spokesman said “if it has become too frequent, I can understand the need to cut back”. Similarly, Centrebet said it accepted “the referee’s decision”.
Don’t forget that these agencies have repeatedly failed to accept the referee’s decision in relation to the Racing Fields legislation and have appealed those decisions more often than Shane Warne. The fact that they have rolled over so easily on this proposed legislation is indicative of their own attitudes to the practice.
With three major sports in Australia (AFL, NRL and cricket) now all having been caught up in their own betting scandals (although in the case of cricket it had nothing to do with Cricket Australia), they need to pre-empt this legislation and dictate their own terms to the respective agencies.
This toxic practice of advertising in-play odds does nothing to quell public perception regarding spot fixing and the legitimacy of some outcomes; a more pro-active and determined leadership from the respective sporting bodies would help to improve this.
Those that profit from sports betting – those professional ‘investors’ – may disagree with the decision, however the advertising of in-play odds is not targeted at them. It is targeted at those who bet out of impulse and without proper consideration.
It is these people who the legislation is designed to protect and the relevant sporting bodies should be doing all they can to work with the government with this and get out of bed with the betting agencies.
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