Four Corners: May 20

On Monday’s Four Corners Marian Wilkinson investigates gambling in sport and Tom Waterhouse, by talking to industry critics, those inside it and those trying to rein it in.

Australians love sport and they love to gamble. Put the two together and there’s lots of money to be made. Across the globe sports betting is dominated by huge, faceless corporations with deep pockets, all looking for market share. By contrast in Australia, the industry might be growing but it certainly isn’t faceless and for that it can thank one man. His name is Tom Waterhouse. Son of a bookmaker and top line horse trainer, he’s made himself the face of sports betting in Australia. Taking out advertising slots on the Nine Network, he was also given a place on the network’s rugby league commentary team. It was the boldest move yet by an industry that’s taking every opportunity to grab publicity:

“I can promise you that if you open up one page or you watch TV for one quarter, you will see betting advertising. You know, I think it’s just gone past the point of no return now and we need government legislation.” Former AFL player and self-confessed gambling addict

Critics claimed that by embedding himself in the sports broadcast during prime time, Tom Waterhouse was blurring the lines between the business of gambling and sports commentary. But Waterhouse isn’t the only betting agent being criticised. Across the board, advertising by betting agencies is on the rise; and while it’s one thing to sell a product to adults, others are concerned about its potential impact on children:

“…we’re actually educating a whole generation of Australians, not only is it alright to bet, but you’re a mug if you don’t”. Former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett

The bad publicity Tom Waterhouse attracted didn’t improve when he was accused by media magnate John Singleton of getting inside information on the health of Singleton’s prized mare, More Joyous, trained by Gai Waterhouse. Although a stewards’ Inquiry cleared him of any wrong-doing, the sensational publicity surrounding the affair is escalating concerns over the entire sports betting industry.

This week Four Corners reporter Marian Wilkinson investigates the industry, talking to its critics, those inside it and those trying to rein it in. What does it offer sport? Is match-fixing a serious threat? Should governments protect children from the excessive promotion of sports gambling?

Monday 20th May at 8.30pm on ABC1.