It may be April Fools Day but there is no joke attached to the following statistics provided by the Australian National University's Centre for Gambling Research which states that gambling is an A$16.2 billion industry in Australia, which is growing at more than 5.6% annually. Australian adults (on average) spent about A$1,067 a year on gambling in 2004, with this divided 60% on slot machines, 13% on race wagering and 10% on lotteries.

I'll refrain from commenting on the ongoing battle between TVN/Sky Channel/Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd. and co as too many others who have a far greater understanding of the subject than I have already said their piece. But the Australian stats are interesting from another perspective and that's the split of the gambling dollar.

It's a subject of interest to me from the Hong Kong perspective as the local Jockey Club has seen a continual slide in handle in recent years and loads of theories abound as to why this is the case. I was at dinner recently and the simplest answer yet was mooted (and I liked it so much I thought it was worth mentioning): football is such an attractive sport to gamble on as there are only 2 teams and you don't need to do the form for 17 horses over a period of months to have a realistic chance of picking the winner. Combine this with the fact that the local Jockey Club does not allow children under 18 to attend the races and you have a whole generation raised on one sport (football) yet 'expected' to bet on horse racing when they reach the legal gambling age.

If the TV/gambling wars don't get resolved any time soon in Australia one wonders if a similar situation (re. people not being able to see the races - even passively as a background TV picture) may not develop in future years in a country far from the Asian one I currently call home.

Let's face it. It's much easier to pick from 2 teams, not 17 after all ...