Does gambling improve sport?
I’m not a gambling man by any stretch of the imagination, heck I don’t even buy lottery tickets but I am no wowser either I don’t care if other people want to have a flutter on the ponies or any other competition. On top of that I am lightning fast on the channel change button if I find sport on the TV. None the less I do have an opinion about the current issue of advertising by bookies during sports broadcasts. I just think that the infusion of gambling to be utterly pernicious and that makes me in agreement with Julia Gillard (oh the humanity!) but I am inclined to think that a total ban on the broadcast advertising of bookmaking would be the most socially beneficial regulation.
Cheers Comrades
Iain Hall's SANDPIT 
There used to be a simpler time when the pre-match banter between the professional broadcasters and the retired boof-headed sportsmen revolved around previous match ups between the teams, how their respective training had gone for the week, and a few anecdotes about some of the players on the field and similar historic games. Last AFL game I bothered to watch not only featured what the odds at the book maker was (which is fair enough if they’re running short on material to talk about) but they solely talked about a whole variety of exotic bets you could make.
I wonder if there are too many pre-match, after-match and during the week tv shows devoted to the AFL, NRL, and so come game time the talking heads have run out of things to say, Passing it over to Tom Waterhouse and his ilk is an easy out to provide more filler.
Totally agree, Iain. The infiltration of sportsbetting into every aspect of our major sporting codes is insidious. If we can ban cigarette advertising on health grounds then we should do so on gambling too, but doubly so. It’s a health AND wealth hazard.
“…….and that makes me in agreement with Julia Gillard ” – Iain Hall
crikey a first!
My thoughts exactly
yes Indii I agree with Gillard on this one but I don’t think that she is going far enough, because I think that gambling is in the same league as tobacco advertising
I agree with you Simon about the endless chatter and time filling in the commentary its one of the reasons I am happy to give televised sport a very big miss.
Iain, any chance of changing the wallpaper? I got my dose of the swinging sixties back in the sixties, I don’t need a booster shot.
Ok GD I’ve changed it and I hope that you find this less disturbing 😉
oh yes, and I, for one, do acknowledge the elephant in the room.
Most appropriate
it is a really cute picture isn’t it? 😀
Can you post the pic?
sure thing