Senator Nick Xenophon will introduce legislation to ban gambling on the outcome of state and federal elections.
Alongside fellow anti-gambling independent MP Andrew Wilkie, the MPs want gambling on elections banned ahead of the Federal Election on September 14, saying that gambling on elections is an invitation for corruption.
This came after one betting agency took out a full-page advertisement to promote its markets for this year’s vote. Sportsbet used images of Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott this week, which featured a speech bubble from the opposition leader reading: “I’m going to win big on election day”.
The independent MPs are calling for both major parties to back the bill that would end such gambling.
“When people can bet on an election outcome then surely there is a risk of corruption in the process, particularly if you are a candidate, if you are a party insider, a party official or a pollster, where you can get an unfair advantage in terms of what the outcome can be,” Senator Xenophon told news.com.