Parliamentary Sports Club Boots Their Only Actual Sports Star To Keep Gambling Giants Happy

EFFIE BATEMAN | Lifestyle | Contact

Independent ACT Senator David Pocock stands accused of ‘ruining the vibe’ at a parliamentary sports club match this week, for having the gall to bring up its ties to a gambling lobby.

Pocock was notified last night that he is now banned from the sports club after publicly criticising its sponsorship by ‘Responsible Wagering Australia, the independent peak body for Australian licensed wagering service providers.

Members including bet365, Betfair, Entain, Sportsbet, Picklebet, Pointsbet and Unibet.

It appears that just like televised sports, the parliamentary sports club doesn’t care much about standards now either.

Pocock accused RWA of paying to ‘secure access to decision makers’ and trying to claim it was involved in a run group devoted to eliminating suicide, which is hosted by the parliamentary sports club.

This has been considered somewhat of a hypocritical pairing, given that as many as 81% of problem gamblers receiving professional treatment have considered suicide.

The club’s CEO Andy Turnbull has since defended this decision, by stating that ‘there is an unwritten rule that no one talks business on the sports pitches’ and ‘it’s the only time the parliamentarians get any time to relax and not do business, and I work very hard to ensure this is the case.’

However, according to an inside source, members of the parliamentary sports club have been allegedly ‘champing at the bit’ to boot Pocock from the club – not just for his refusal to bow down to a gambling lobby but also because he’s a lot more fit than any of the other politicians and it was ‘making everyone feel bad.’

It’s alleged all attempts of playful wagering amongst members were thwarted by Pocock shamelessly beating everyone at everything, as he’s one of the few members of parliament who can touch his toes without breaking a sweat.

Aside from the clear injustice of the situation, Pocock is also reportedly feeling quite confused as he’s never been booted off a team before.

More to come.