There was a strange moment on the radio yesterday.

I was on my way to collect my daughter from her school, where she’s been helping out with some backstage work for an upcoming production. I had the radio on; SEN sports radio (1116 on the AM dial in Melbourne, for those of you who don’t know) were in the final stages of their pre-match coverage of the Carlton/Sydney AFL game at Etihad stadium. Because betting has become so synonymous with sport in this country, they had someone from Centrebet.com on the phone and they were all eagerly discussing the odds, who was better value and how the “punters” should get on board and have a bet.

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I was reading Peter Fitzsimons’ column in the SMH online this morning, and he made mention of a Facebook group called All Bets R Off. It’s for people who “think that the insidious nature of sports gambling getting into live sports broadcasts, sports shows and sports coverage generally has gone way too far.” A worthy cause indeed, and one I’ve ranted about here.

Drop by and have a look!

Let me take a moment to talk about sport. I love sport. Heck, I live in Melbourne… it’s practically a requirement to love sport in this town! But lately, it hasn’t been so much fun.

In recent years, sports betting has blossomed in this state, and indeed in Australia as a whole. These days, watching the footy means getting the lowdown on the odds for each team, whether you want to or not. Listen to the game on the radio and you’ll hear different odds from competing companies. At any time of day or night you’re subjected to advertising that tells you how one company’s odds or betting products are better than everyone else’s.

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