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bets can be placed on anything, from the timing of the f irst
scrum in a rugby league match to whether Christian Ronaldo
will take of f his shirt at some point in a match. The big
companies can track how many of these niche little bets are
placed, and can work out whether a f ix is on.
So in America, the tide has turned. In a country that has seen
institutional liberalisation over the past few years, it could
be that the federal government will jettison its unilateral
gambling law of 1992 and let the States decide.
But there are endemic problems with gambling, which could
become all the more pronounced once it is legalised.
Australia, long a gambling hub, has recently seen an
explosion of sports betting: despite the number of people
who gamble dropping. According to one study, the amount
of sports betting has doubled in f ive years. While this might
have a positive impact on cheating in the sport, there are
some worrying social trends emerging.
Dr. Sally Gainsbury in an article published by the ABC,
explains the prof ile of a new generation of problem
gamblers. “Interactive gamblers tend to be male, they tend to
be younger, they ’re from a higher education, so they ’re more
likely to have university degrees, they certainly have access
to the internet at their work or at their home, and they might
come from a higher socio-economic bracket,” she said.
“You can gamble from home, privately, without anyone
knowing that you’re doing it.”
Another signif icant reason for the explosion of sport betting
is advertising. Jonathon Horn, writing in The Monthly,
explains how sports betting got its claws into Australian
gamblers.
“The global f inancial crisis had also struck. Banks, fast-food
chains and insurance companies scaled back their marketing
considerably. The bookmakers, a curiously recession-proof
lot, embarked on a blizzard of advertising, as well as thinking
laterally in terms of sponsorship,” he says.
Sports betting has been normalised to such an extent that
for many it has become as much part of the game as meat
pies and lines outside the toilets.
It is estimated that there are around 200,000 problem
gamblers in Australia and many more at “moderate risk”. Of
these, a signif icant proportion is suf fering from depression.
While American States will surely start legalising sports
betting soon, they would do well to look at examples from
Australia and Britain. There is money to be made, but law-
makers must try to ensure people are not a casualty of this
change.
© 2010 Baishampayan Ghos
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ISSUE 20 | MARCH 2015 |
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