Strewth! A fair dinkum swag, mate

Australians spend more money on gambling than on alcohol and petrol

IT WAS once said of Ricky Ponting that his perfect day revolved around “a bat, a bet and a beer”.

The Aussie cricket captain clearly has a bit more character depth than that epithet implies, but it is nonetheless a handy phrase to describe the quintessential Aussie sporting bloke.

We Saffers have learnt the hard way about the batting capabilities of the Rickman and his cobbers.

We also know of the Aussie proclivity for betting: Ponting isn’t called “Punter” for nothing.

And we’ve heard about their prowess with the amber fluid — well illustrated by former cricketer David Boon, who famously downed 52 beers on a flight from Sydney to London ahead of Australia’s victorious 1989 Ashes tour.

This agreeable generalisation about Aussies sprang to mind when a fella walked into my local pub, said “G’day sport”, and ordered a schooner. The Wallaby footie jersey and steamrollered vowels stirred interest.

It didn’t take much yakka to get him to explain his presence here in Bullamanka (a place far from home). He was in Japieland to help to seal an agreement between Australia’s Tabcorp betting operation and Phumelela Gold, the South African equivalent.

The joint venture involves the expansion of reciprocal television broadcasts of horse racing between the two countries and the co-mingling of tote pools.

Jingoes, this is a big deal.

Oz is a major racing country, so the televised product we get should stimulate local betting activity — thereby growing stake money, the lifeblood of the game. And greater exposure of South African racing should open up more export opportunities for our thoroughbred breeding industry, among other things.

But the co-mingled tote pools are the ripper. South African wagers on Australian racing will go into the pool Down Under, with winning dividends being paid from that pool — and vice versa. In short, it means bigger pools and bigger payouts.

As observed, Aussies are fond of a flutter, so local pools will get a few more razoos (farthings).

In fact, Oz is the biggest punting nation, bar none. More than 80 percent of its adult population gambles — the highest rate on the planet. The country with the 53rd-biggest population in the world has the largest number of slot machines — a staggering fifth of the world’s supply.

A study a few years ago showed that each Australian spent more money on gambling (A17.52 a week) than on alcohol (A10.99) and petrol (A15.27).

Our mate’s tote news demanded celebration in the pub, which inevitably led to a rash of jumbuck jokes too rough for this high-class paper. Okay, just one then. Brace yourself, Sheila ...

How do Australian farmers find their sheep in the Outback? Irresistible.

The Tabcorp-Phumgold deal only takes effect in a few months, denying Bruce a good opportunity to size up our neddies (horses) this weekend.

The headline event is Sunday’s Mercury Sprint at Clairwood, with some of the country’s best speedsters.

But hey, one can’t help fancying the two Aussies in the race: Our Giant and Sharks Bay.

As they say down there: Caaarn, avagoyermug!