The Gambling Plague

Sport and gambling are an odd couple. Strung together in an attempt to make the mundane interesting - ie two flys crawling up a wall - the couple are now inter-meshed and inseparable. For better or for worse we have no way of escaping the gambling plague when we watch our favourite sport.

Over the years there have been a slew of gambling related dramas in sport. Players betting on their own team or passing on valuable insider information have been common place. The infamous Pete Rose (Baseball), Andres Escobar (Football) and Hanse Cronje are prime examples of the problems that can arise in the marriage of sport and gambling. Money is the root of all evil?

What has annoyed me the most about the coupling has been the thinly veiled attempts to integrate gambling odds and promotions into sports coverage. Betfair's agreement with the ECB and Sky Sports, and soon with the ACB, requires that Sky Sports show a minimum number of shots of the Betfair Blimp each session otherwise sponsorship dollars (pounds) are withheld. Channel Nine in Australia have a similar arrangement with a local betting agency showing odds for the win / loss / draw for Rugby League games as well as ad hoc mentions of odds for first try scorer, winner of the competition and wooden spoon.

All seemingly harmless when integrated into the coverage? Perhaps. My objections lies in the timing of these promotions of gambling. In Australia the legal gambling age is 18. Anyone under the age of 18 is not allowed to legally gamble. Sporting coverage during the day and early evening has a significant smattering of gambling references and promotions in timeslots where young fans are watching. On a recent Friday night Rugby League telecast I counted eight mentions of gambling, gambling agencies and odds in the half hour between 7:30pm and 8:00pm.

In Australia the regulation of gambling advertising is left to each State. With the rapid rise of gambling advertising and popularity many states, including my home state of Queensland, are lagging behind in sensible regulation.

What impact is the sport/gambling marriage likely to have on the future of our favourite games? Are we raising a new generation of sports fans who focus on the financial return of a result as much as the connection to their favourite team's fortunes? Is it all just harmless fun adding spice to sport? Are the funds generated by gambling vital in keeping sports afloat - especially at "grassroots levels"?