This morning’s John Faine show on 774, heard a whole heap of people get up in arms and heated (Faine included) about state government plans to grant Greek gambling firm Intralot a licence to sell lottery ‘scratchcards’ in service stations and supermarkets. As a recent Aussie citizen from a far away land, I believe that gambling is something of a national addiction in Australia. It’s certainly deeply ingrained in Oz’s, largely excellent, social culture.
But minutes after his lottery froth, Faine gave open mike to one of his regular show contributors, Michael Sullivan, the MD of Aussie online gambling portal Sportingbet. Plugging his company while citing odds on the likely dates of a Federal Election date here in Oz, Sullivan was clearly PR-ing or advertising his wares. Not one person flagged the contradiction if not the juxtaposition of the two features. Nor did anyone challenge them on the fact that the ABC is not allowed to accept advertising. Unless you’re an expert, obviously.