Senator Nick Xenophon is calling for politicians, officials and advisers to be banned from election betting after Fairfax Media revealed that senior members of both parties had
placed bets on their opposition to win in some Queensland marginal seats.
The senator from South Australia, Mr. Xenophon talking to Neos Kosmos said,
“I want Gillard and Abbott to say that this is wrong.”
“I am calling for an enquiry, the public needs to know who has been doing the betting and how much” Senator Xenophon added.
He wants to expand the terms of reference of a Senate inquiry into sporting and online gambling to include more restrictive regulations on election betting.
Mr. Xenophon wants politicians to stop betting on elections because,
“What if you have inside information?”
“We should not bet with democracy!”
He pointed to the AFL where officials cannot bet their opponents, so matches aren’t thrown and emphasized, the “risk when it comes to a democracy.”
”In the same way in the AFL officials and players can’t bet, the same rules should apply for election betting” Mr. Xenophon said to Neos Kosmos.
Mr. Xenophon said the stakes are much higher in democracy than the AFL.