The fact Australians would be able to bet on the number of runs scored in each over of the Ashes Tests was front-page news this week as concerns grew about the links between sport and gambling.
Now - in what is claimed to be a first for an entire sporting discipline in Australia - V8 Supercars has jumped into bed with the betting agency Sportingbet and set up a gaming website called V8bet.com.au.
The joint venture won't let punters bet on every lap of the V8 meeting in Townsville this weekend, but markets will usually be framed for the likes of outrights, pole position, first retirement and competitor match-ups. Before the first practice sessions began in Townsville yesterday morning, the market for claiming this year's title of Supercars champion had Jamie Whincup (Ford) as favourite at $1.25 followed by Will Davison (Holden) at $6.50 and Craig Lowndes (Ford) at $9.
For Townsville's first 200 kilometre race today, Whincup was favourite to win at $3.25. Backing him to have pole position was paying $3.50 while a podium finish was $1.55.
Backing a Ford to win the race was paying $1.62 while backing a Holden was $2.25.
Backing a team, the shortest odds ($2.05) were for the Vodafone team featuring Whincup and Lowndes.
V8 Supercars executive chairman Tony Cochrane said until now there had been little gambling on V8s, but the partnership with Sportingbet would help V8s grow, with the sport earning a percentage from the gaming venture.
Sportingbet CEO Michael Sullivan said: "This is the first time in Australia that a whole sport has signed with a betting organisation to provide a betting platform for their fans." (Credit: Fairfax)
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