Bookies warn sports, gambling industry at risk Rogue councillors

NEWS 13
HERALDSUN.COM.AU TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016
We’re losing the bet
PETER ROLFE
UP to $2.3 billion will be lost to
illegal offshore betting operators by 2020 unless online and
sports betting is reformed, the
nation’s bookies say.
The Australian Wagering
Council, representing licensed
bookmakers such as William
Hill, Sportsbet and Bet365, has
warned that racing and other
sports are vulnerable to matchfixing and illegal gambling and
current laws are ineffective.
The council has told the
federal government that Aus-
Bookies warn sports, gambling industry at risk
tralia stands to lose $100 million a year in forgone taxes
because of betting business
taken by overseas operators.
Significant
opportunities
for economic growth and jobs
would be lost, and programs to
prevent problem gambling
would also be compromised,
the council said.
In a submission to a Senate
review of online betting, it said
better regulation of betting was
required to prevent match-fixing and money laundering.
The council said each sport
was tackling these problems on
its own, and “better co-ordination and a stronger framework for regulation and international co-operation would
help’’. It called for a new national betting regulator to
forge international partnerships, particularly with law enforcement agencies, and apply
“rigorous monitoring to identify suspicious betting activity
and protect the integrity of
sports and racing’’.
“Customers are increasingly choosing to wager online,
through smartphones,’’ it said,
but current laws could not
bring “potentially legitimate
offshore businesses under Australian supervision’’.
“Leaking of wagering offshore can’t be prevented en-
tirely but it can be stemmed,
and the solution is to make the
licensed, legitimate onshore
industry competitive and appealing,’’ the council said.
“The challenge is to create a
regulated, transparent environment with robust consumer protections and responsible
gambling and harm minimisation measures.’’
The Herald Sun recently revealed that almost 60 per cent
of the huge $1.6 billion online
gaming industry is going offshore, to more than 2000
betting websites that exist outside the control of Australian
regulators.
Illegal offshore wagering
companies avoid Australian
taxes, do not pay fees to sports
or racing bodies, and are
not obliged to monitor suspicious betting.
They also provide only limited protection for punters to
withdraw winnings.
peter.rolfe@news.com.au
@rolfep
Winton Motor Raceway
women’s racing team
members Yvette Campbell,
Michelle King, Glenys
Collins, Sarah Ackerly and
Sharon Laurie; and (inset)
crammed into the Falcon.
Pictures: JAY TOWN
LeMONS RACING SWEET FOR US
PUTTING pedal to the metal
isn’t a problem for these
ladies — even in heels.
An all-female team from
Winton Motor Raceway is
ready to give the blokes a
run for their money in the
endurance race, 24 Hours of
LeMons. Drivers compete in
cars that are worth no more
than $1000 to raise money
for prostate cancer research.
The ‘’Winton Angels’’ will
hit the circuit in a banged-up
mid ‘90s Ford Falcon
“The great thing about
LeMons is you don’t have to
be a fast driver to have a
great time, or achieve a good
result,” race co-ordinator
Sarah Ackerly said. “I’ve
worked at Winton for a few
years now and I’ve organised
a lot of meetings, but I’ve
never had the chance to
drive competitively.’’
The 24 Hours of LeMons
events started a decade ago
in the US and have since
grown to attract huge fields
with an emphasis on
enjoyment and teamwork.
Teams are encouraged to
dress up and paint their cars.
The first one here was last
October. Five are planned
across Australasia this year,
with the Winton event on
March 11-13.
FAREWELL TO FATHER JACK
Rogue councillors facing axe
NEW laws to crack down on
badly behaved councillors take
effect from today.
Under the new state powers, rogue councillors would be
suspended without pay for six
months if found guilty of serious misconduct by an independent conduct panel.
The local government minister would also be able to
stand aside councillors for up
to six months while the panel
probed misconduct claims.
V1 - MHSE01Z02MA
ANDREW JEFFERSON
The aim of the reforms is to
enable rogue councillors,
rather than entire councils, to
be booted out.
Dysfunctional Brimbank
and Wangaratta councils are
both under administration
until October.
Under existing laws, the
government could only sack
an entire council when there
were ongoing problems.
Local government minister
Natalie Hutchins, said misconduct among Victoria’s 624
councillors was rare.
“The majority of councillors
do the right thing, but in the
rare cases of one bad apple, it
is important that we have
quick and robust processes in
place to deal with misconduct,”
she said.
Under the new laws, councillors would retain the right to
appeal to VCAT.
Frank Kelly
THE Irish actor who played
Father Jack in the Father Ted
sitcom has died, after a 60year stage and screen career.
Frank Kelly’s role as a
feisty parody of a drunken
priest — with a vocabulary of
little more than “drink” and
swear words — helped make
the 1995-98 series a huge hit.
Kelly, 77, who revealed a
diagnosis of Parkinson’s
disease last November, died
exactly 18 years after Father
Ted co-star Dermot Morgan.
The program, about three
priests and their housekeeper
living on the fictional Craggy
Island, somewhere off
Ireland’s west coast, attracted
huge audiences.
Ardal O’Hanlon, who
played Father Dougal
McGuire, said: “Frank was an
all-round talent, an
institution in Irish
entertainment, a very
determined professional, and
he’ll be greatly missed by all
who knew him.”