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Aussie
Rules
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Media Release
TAB Campaign Becomes Bizzare The following press release was issued at 02:00 GMT, 30th April 2004 TAB's advertising campaign against betting exchanges turned to the bizarre today as it tried to suggest that betting exchanges exacerbate the risk of criminals corrupting cricket. That charge can only be made on the basis of one of two things: either that you can bet on a cricket team to lose on a betting exchange but not with the TAB; or that betting exchanges refuse to cooperate with the appropriate policing authorities. Neither of those two theories could be further from the truth. Cricket is generally a two-outcome event, so if you bet on one team to win, you bet on the other to lose. There is no bet that you can place on cricket on an exchange that you cannot also place with TAB. There is therefore no opportunity for corruption created by betting exchanges that did not already exist with the TAB. What matters therefore is cooperation by all wagering operators with the appropriate policing authorities. But TAB are nowhere in the fight against corruption in cricket, while Betfair, which represents about 90% of the exchange market, has been ground-breaking in its levels of co-operation. Betfair is the only bookmaker in the world to have a signed agreement with the sport’s governing body, the International Cricket Council, to allow it full access to betting activity conducted through the company on its sport. The TAB’s latest inference regarding Betfair will therefore leave anyone with any knowledge of the subject completely bewildered. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Betfair by ICC was hailed by ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed as an aid to ICC’s “on-going commitment to the eradication of conduct of a corrupt nature prejudicial to the interests of the game”. He said, “Over recent years cricket has come a long way in tackling the evils of corruption but it can never relax and become complacent”. Today, Betfair is pleased to announce that alongside its agreement with ICC, it has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cricket Australia. As was true globally, so too on a national level: Betfair becomes the first wagering organisation in the world to offer access to such complete betting information. It has also begun talks with another national cricket body to the same end. Betfair has signed these agreements in the interests of transparency, and because it is leading the fight against corruption in sport all round the world. TAB’s statement today is an embarrassment to the company. Their single-minded aim to preserve their monopoly status at the expense of the consumer has revealed ignorance of astonishing proportions. That, in turn, has revealed the complete inadequacy of their argument. Ends Notes to Editors: 1. TAB’s advert ‘Are criminals betting on our cricket: Ask foreign betting exchanges'’ is the fifth in a series being run in The Australian and The Australian Financial Review. It is part of a campaign to persuade the Federal Government to ban betting exchanges, which threaten the monopoly status of the TAB. 2. Betfair signed its MOU with the ICC on 16th January 2004. Details of its MOU with Cricket Australia will be announced later today. 3. Betting that Australia will beat
England is the same as betting that England will lose to Australia. The
ability to oppose an outcome is utterly irrelevant, as this example
clearly demonstrates.
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