Don’t want that dirty gambling money

Dirty money?

As the debate around gambling advertising rumbles on in Australia, news outlet Crikey this week published an article explaining why it isn’t – and doesn’t want to be – involved with the sector.

With the media industry struggling to stay afloat without significant advertising revenue, it’s no surprise to see more and more outlets forging advertising partnerships with deep-pocketed gambling firms in recent years.

And although the temptation to take the cash must be strong, “Crikey has never taken gambling money,” it declares.

“It’s not loose change we’re rejecting, either. Gambling brands spend a lot. And mostly pay full price.”

Following some “back-of-the-envolope calculation” by its ad sales team, the media outlet suggested it “could conceivably shake out at a net margin contribution of around $300,000” by accepting gambling ads on its website; “enough to really sink our teeth into some stories.”

“But we don’t go after that kind of money, we don’t take it when it’s offered and we’re not about to start. Why?” the article asks.

Well, it suggests, it doesn’t take the money for precisely the same reasons that many are currently fighting for an outright ban on gambling ads to come into effect across Australia.

“We don’t want anything to do with the industry, no matter how many investigations its money would fund.”

Instead, Crikey says, “we want to talk about how to fund public interest journalism.”

"Even if they get to keep their pocket money this time round, this fight is yet another reminder that corporate media will continue to die a slow death.”

To avoid it, the article suggests, the government should look to expand its funding model to include public interest journalism outlets, thus reducing the need for the sector to rely on advertisers which don’t align with their goals.

But, while Crikey is most certainly out for gambling firms, for now at least there remains a plethora of media brands which will continue to take money from the sector – and gladly.

Take me to the river

Elsewhere, The Point magazine offered up a thought-provoking long read on the latest work of writer, statistician and poker player Nate Silver.

Silver’s recently released book On the Edge offers up a thorough explanation of how he sees the world, through a primarily statistical and quantitative lens.

The book promises “a path to riches and glory by treating life like a casino,” according to the article.

“Silver’s thesis is that gambling represents a comprehensive approach to life: a way to decide what to do in literally any situation.

“If you go by the process. If you make everything into numbers. If you bet the odds. Then you are righteous — even if you lose it all."

Those who see the world as described are divided from the rest of the population in Silver’s mind, as the gambling-oriented risk takers live in the “River”.

Meanwhile, those in the “Village” are more risk averse, and therefore less likely to take a chance on life based on probability.

“The inhabitants of the River are the motley heroes of the book: the professional gamblers, the sports bookmakers, the Wall Street traders, the Silicon Valley VCs and founders and the AI engineers,” the piece explains.

“The Village is composed of the risk-averse world of D.C. politicians, academics and the media.”

But, Silver suggests in his work, “rich and powerful people are disproportionately likely to be Riverians.”

Readers are encouraged to check out this thorough and interesting long read in full, for a more detailed explanation of how Silver’s life as a statistician and poker player colours his approach to everything he does.

After all, if you can’t actually predict the future, you might as well play the odds.

Rules aren’t made to be broken

Finally, The Guardian reported that the NFL is now using “integrity representatives” to monitor suspicious activity in American football.

The league has increased its focus on gambling policy and integrity monitoring efforts “after a successful offseason,” the article reports, with no players suspended for gambling violations in the past 13 months.

That figure stands in stark contrast to the last offseason, when no fewer than 10 players were suspended from the league for gambling violations.

“In-person gambling policy education and training is mandatory for all players in 2024,” the article adds, serving as a reminder that gambling and sports integrity are now much more at front-of-mind than in years past.

The education and training review rules and reinforce integrity provisions. The two golden rules for athletes, according to the article, are never to bet on NFL games, and not to gamble in any way while with the team, be it in a training facility, hotel, bus, or anywhere else.

Other key rules for NFL players include not to ask others to place bets on their behalf, not to share inside information that hasn’t been announced by the team, not to enter a sportsbook during NFL playing season, and not to play daily fantasy football.

While the rules may appear straightforward enough, given the swathes of suspensions, bans, fines and even criminal convictions across US sports betting in recent years, it’s no surprise the NFL is now attempting to really hammer them home.

If it gets this focus right, perhaps we’ll never hear of another NFL-related betting scandal again.

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