Explosive ABC Four Corners Investigation Into Online Betting Gets Zero Coverage On Any Other Networks Because The Entire Australian Media Is Subsidised By Online Gambling Addictions

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact

One of the great diseases of our modern society was probed and prodded on Four Corners last night as reporter Steve Cannane explored the disgraceful intermingling that’s been going on between online bettors and our elected officials in governments.

The story begins at the conclusion of a parliamentary inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm. It was chaired by Peta Murphy, the Member for Dunkley, who died from cancer shortly after the report titled ‘You Win Some, You Lose More” was released.

The report detailed the appalling harm online gambling does to Australians. How intertwined it’s become in our most beloved institutions like rugby league and Aussie Rules. That the amount of money flooded into these sports makes it seem impossible to wind back. What is truly disgraceful is that money stolen from people (from accountants, financial advisors, addicted loved ones) and spent with these foreign-owned betting agencies is NOT considered the proceeds of crime. That millions and millions of dollars stolen from ordinary Australians is totally unrecoverable. Gone. That the industry is without regulation. That the entire online betting industry in Australia is regulated by half a dozen fat blokes in Darwin who dye their hair. That’s it. Then there’s the enticements that dangle salvation in front of addicts. More often that not, it puts them deeper in the hole, left with increasingly diminishing options to get themselves out.

But the ABC is the only place where you’ll ever see anything like this. The amount of money pumped into the media in this country from these foreign-owned agencies is biblical. The level of influence they have over our politicians and media class in unsurpassed. Channel Nine would never. They’re already on life support as it is. Channel 7 the same but probably worse. Channel 10 is being held together with spit and rubber bands. Removing advertising monies would ended them.

We were promised reform, promised action. This Labor Government has done nothing. They won’t do anything, either. Because this isn’t a reformist government, it’s just Turnbull in Tarocash. At the moment, anyway.

They say the grass roots will suffer, which they will, because the executives won’t. Most of these polyester-wrapped chodes in sports administration have never laced up the boots for the joy of it, anyway.

Regulators from overseas look at Australian online betting like we look at America with their guns. We laugh at them and think they’re dumb. It was easy for us to just ban guns. It was a no brainer. And it worked. But somehow, banning online sports betting agencies from advertising will throw us back to the sporting dark ages. How dum do they think we all are?

More to come.