Wagering on sports matches and pokie machines are distinguishably the two most popular gambling recreations that Australians have embraced like a tradition. However, in recent years, some Australian punters have revealed a dark side. Some tend to take sports betting to heart that they become seriously upset with professional athletes whose play caused them to lose on their wagers. A recent case is that of the punter who posted threats against Sydney Rooster star player Josh Morris, which drew backlash from various sectors.
Last week, after the Sydney Roosters crashed the Wests Tigers with a 40-6 score in the previous Sunday’s rugby match, a still unnamed punter sent a direct message to Josh Morris on Instagram. Dismayed that he lost on the $10 multi bet he placed on the March 21 match, the punter not only used invective language but also made a threat that he would harm the NRL star the moment Morris steps out of the Campbelltown Stadium.
Morris took a screenshot of the private message and posted it in his Instagram stories to which he added text “This stuff needs to stop.”
Perhaps now it would, after sports betting outlets in Australia took action by permanently blacklisting the punter, which means licensed bookmakers will no longer accept his sports bets. Moreover, the abusive punter’s social media accounts have been suspended, and is now the subject of a police investigation.
Melbourne Storm star player Josh Addo-Carr pointed out that Morris’ case is not the first time frustrated Australian sports bettors blamed an NRL player for failed bets. Apparently, the Storm winger had a similar experience because prior to the Morris incident, Addo-Carr had posted a picture of himself holding a sign that said “NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR MULTI.”
Australians’ Long Standing Love Affair with Pokie Machines
Pokie machines are also an obsession among many gamblers in Australia that many have likened the penchant for the machines as a long standing love affair. Except in Western Australia, nearly 200,000 pokie machines proliferate in bars and social clubs. However, there have been incidents when players have smashed pokie machines out of frustration, particularly by those who failed miserably in chasing after losses. The most recent pokie-smashing incident was at Eltham Hotel,which tookmplace sometime in March 2020, prior to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Right after the lockdown was lifted, pubs and clubs were never short of pokie players and have in fact, were able to offset some of the losses they sustained from the three months of business inactivity. Still, Club NSW had commented that comparatively speaking, the surge in their profits from pokie machines were not as substantial; as not all of their regular pokie customers have visited pubs and clubs when they reopened.
While some may have already curbed their addiction to pokies, another possible explanation is that others have experienced the convenience of playing their favorite pokie games online. During the COVID-19 quarantine period, the search for online gambling sites saw a massive increase, while many Australians used pokie review sites like The Slots Buddy (https://theslotbuddy.com/) in their search for online casinos accessible to Australian gamblers.