australian football television
A very well known and popular ex Australian Rules football player, now a big time bookmaker, has been fined and disqualified for four years after being found guilty of not properly recording bets taken on sporting events including thoroughbred racing. Telephone betting rules are quite clear, anyone breaching them has to face the consequences, this person being no exception. The penalties inflicted may, to the general public, appear harsh, however I want to look at this matter from the affected clubs point of view. You may ask why, and I am happy to answer. After 23 years as a banker, in 1975 I became secretary of a country harness racing club. We had a bookmaking contingent of 22, and portion of a race meeting income was the turnover commissions payable by the bookmakers to the club.
Naturally, any unrecorded betting activity had a direct affect on the net result of the meeting. Conducting a race meeting, be it gallops, harness or a betting sports event, is a costly business. It demands high level advertising, promotional activities and a ever rising security and staffing cost factor. Add ambulance attendance, television, medicos and dozens of other costs which all have to be covered by income items, not the least, bookmakers holdings revenue. The case in question concerned bets totalling around seven million dollars. If this figure is converted to how much the various clubs were short changed, it amounts to a real lot of money. As a secretary treasurer my job entailed making sure the club traded profitably to guarantee its survival.
This involved getting out amongst the community promoting up coming meetings, chasing sponsorship, which usually demanded personal contact, and making sure as many people as possible were aware of when we race. In other words, the club was rightly expected to get people on course to give caterers the opportunity to earn well to justify their catering rights payments to the club. Also for the totalizator to turn over sufficient to pay their expenses, and the bar to profit from extra custom. Having said all this, I abhorred any section of our revenue streams that were not being properly accounted for. So it is no surprise that I have no sympathy whatsoever for this bookmaker who is being made a virtual victim in the eyes of the media.
My fervent hope is that it serves as a clear warning to other operators that they too will be harshly dealt with if caught doing similar wrong doings. I worked long hours, way beyond expectancy, to attract big crowds for the benefit of all sections of the industry, surely it is not too much to ask for just a fair go? New Zealand, for one, is a country without bookmakers, it would be nice to think that all sports betting is channeled through their totalizator. I wonder!
Bill Adams is best described as a 73 year old Aussie retiree with a banking,horse racing administration and real estate sales background.He has been happily married to Joan for over 50 years,has 3 sons,and enjoys golf,bowls and the A.F.L. (Adelaide Crows).
He maintains a keen interest in harness racing as a spectator and runs an internet marketing business from home.He wants to tell everyone interested in earning extra income about this opportunity.Full details are on http://www.MavericksHomeMadeMoney.com .
[HD] 2009 AFL TV Commercial – Full Version
