The State Government has been told it should allow bets on politics and reality TV shows like Australian Idol.
The call was made in a report on overhauling the betting and racing industry, which has fallen with the rise of internet betting.
But against a backdrop of dangerous gambling, the report warns the Rees Government to act with caution so as not to offend "good taste or community expectations".
Allowing betting on the outcome of court cases or sporting tribunal hearings should not be considered, for example.
The review by Alan Cameron, a former chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, advises the Government to give a newly constituted Casino, Liquor & Gaming Control Authority the power to select events for betting, "including political elections and reality television programs".
It also calls for a national overhaul of the betting industry to deal with the inroads made by internet betting.
Mr Cameron wants online betting exchanges such as Betfair, whose Australian operations are part-owned by James Packer, to be allowed to operate in NSW, even though it has been criticised for its limited contribution to the racing industry.
As a betting exchange, Betfair allows two people to bet against each other. It also allows people to bet a horse will not win a race, which has been criticised for encouraging corrupt practices.
The Government set up the Cameron review a year ago after the Herald disclosed that the then premier, Morris Iemma, had intervened to clear the way for Betfair's entry into NSW. Betfair succeeded in challenging advertising bans in legal action with the West Australian Government, which has opened the door for it to expand its operations.
"It is becoming increasingly problematic for any state to try operating independently with the entry of corporate bookmakers and the cross-border 'leaking' of revenue," the Gaming and Racing Minister, Kevin Greene, said when making the Cameron review public yesterday.
Boston Consulting Group estimated the Government was losing $14 million a year in gambling tax revenue due to internet gambling, and the racing industry lost $27 million.
Bookmakers and the TAB pay a racing industry levy that betting exchanges avoid.
(Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald)
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