Going all in: Tom’s watershed moment in gambling advertising

Free TV Australia has proposed a new code of conduct controlling the proliferation of sports betting commentary on commercial television.

The move comes as a response to Tom Waterhouse’s recent frequent appearances as a live commentator on Friday evening sports coverage, raising questions over the ethics of gambling advertising.

Under the proposed new code, the promotion of live odds during play will be banned. Commentators and their guests will also be prohibited from promoting live odds during a game, as well as for 30 minutes before and after the match. Public submissions are available until 5pm on May 20.

Ernest Avetisian, a personal trainer at Fitness First George St, was scathingly critical of Tom Waterhouse’s gambling advertising, which was almost continuously broadcast during the daytime coverage of the horse racing at Royal Randwick on April 13.

“As a father of two kids, this is unacceptable. Alec and Linda just wanted to see the horse races on the TV, and here they’re just flooded with what horse they should pick and how much money they could get. It’s appalling … we’ve got to look at what kind of message are we giving to the kids here,” he said.

A Tabcorp spokesman said the problem arose from the breakdown of betting advertising laws in 2008, meaning wagering companies were able to advertise outside of the state they were licensed in. “This lead to increased levels of advertising and promotional activity by our competitors [seeking] to establish brand awareness,” he said.

So is this marketing innovation? Nina O’Brien, a Financial Manager for British American Tobacco Australia said betting companies were similar to tobacco companies in adapting marketing strategies and methods of innovation in a changing market.

“Companies like TomWaterhouse.com are looking at new ways in which they can reach out to consumers. It’s all about brand familiarity. Tom has cleverly gone beyond just selling a service. He has essentially [created] an identity to help penetrate the market and that puts them one step ahead,” she said.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australian tobacco companies began featuring mandatory warnings on cigarette packets and restrictions on advertising in 1972.

A 2011-12 report by the ABS showed there were 2.8 million Australians aged 18 and over who smoked daily, a rate of 16 per cent. This rate has decreased consistently over the past decade, from 19 per cent in 2007-08 and 22 per cent in 2001, due to increased regulation over smoking labels and advertising.

Ms O’Brien does not believe there will be similar marketing limitations imposed on gambling ads, but added there should be a limit on the quantity of gambling advertising displayed at early timeslots.

Joshua Tassell, Coordinator of the Sydney Boys High School athletics program and University of Sydney athlete, echoed these sentiments.

“Yes, there needs to be a limit. It’s not okay with how much airtime is filled with gambling ads, particularly sport time,” he said.

Mr Tassell called for a greater regulation of gambling advertising, opining it was far too entrenched in Australian sporting culture. “It takes away from the spectacle when [Tom] Waterhouse and Glenn Munsie are quoting odds the whole time. It’s inappropriate for children to see, particularly ads that start with ‘I wasn’t born to play sport, but I wasn’t a Waterhouse’,” he said.

A 2004-05 ABS report confirmed that as of June 2005, there were 5,370 businesses in Australia involved in the provision of gambling services, and the total net takings from gambling during 2004-05 was $15.5 million. According to independent senator for South Australia, Nick Xenophon, gambling addiction is a serious problem within Australia and needs to be addressed urgently.

“$12 billion a year is lost on the pokies. 100,000 Australians are problem gamblers and an additional 200,000 are significantly at risk of developing a full-blown addiction,” he said.

Tom Waterhouse, however, distances himself from this notion of “problem gambling”. He describes himself online as Australia’s biggest bookie, “a fourth generation bookmaker with 112 years of betting knowledge in his blood”.

But the question remains: Has gambling advertising gone too far?