RMIT experts available for comment on Melbourne Cup

Gambling

Professor Lisa Farrell (0438 382 002 or lisa.farrell@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: gambling, health economics, consumer expenditure regarding risking health behaviours like gambling, drinking and smoking

"Australia has the largest per capita gambling expenditure globally and yet is a world leader in cigarette control. It’s interesting to think why that might be the case as the Melbourne Cup approaches.

“The trend in mobile betting apps means that a greater number of people are at harm from excessive gambling expenditure than ever before. Online sports betting is a growing market in Australia and those addicted are nearly all young men.

“Online sports betting is a growing sector in the betting and gaming industry and even punters who attend events such as the Melbourne Cup are often seen placing their bets via their mobiles, rather than queuing up at a bookmaker trackside.

“Australian banks have been under immense scrutiny during and after the Royal Commission, but, many lenders are taking a proactive stance setting limits on the percentage of credit card expenditures that can be spent on gambling. It is interesting to consider the role of FINTECH in curbing Australia’s gambling epidemic.”

Professor Lisa Farrell is Deputy Dean (Research and Innovation) at RMIT’s School of Economics, Finance and Marketing. She has studied the consumption of addictive products for more than 20 years.

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Race day entertainment

Topics: Melbourne Cup entertainment, music industry and trends

Dr Catherine Strong (0404 604 544 or catherine.strong@rmit.edu.au)

“Playing at the Melbourne Cup is a great opportunity for exposure as well as financial reward for musicians. But artists increasingly need to consider whether that exposure will be positive or – as, in the recent case, with Taylor Swift – negative.

“These considerations are top of mind, particularly given the event has become increasingly contentious due to horse deaths or injuries on the track during the big race and concerns about the treatment of retired or injured racehorses.

“Bands need to carefully craft their brands to ensure they align with the values of their fans as much as possible, and ‘animal cruelty’ is something few bands would benefit from being associated with.

“While the Cup does not currently have a high-profile international act for this year, a number of Australian artists are still scheduled to play.

“Whether in future years it becomes harder to even book local acts, or whether the Cup remains a party day that bands with a good-time image can continue to align themselves with, will be fascinating to watch.”

Dr Catherine Strong is a Music Industry lecturer in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University. She is Chair of the Australia-New Zealand branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music IASPM and the author of several music books. Her research focuses on memory, heritage and gender in relation to popular music. 

The economy

Emeritus Professor David Hayward (0416 174 833 or david.hayward@rmit.edu.au)

Topics:  Victorian economy, employment

“The Spring Racing Carnival is the jewel in the Victorian racing industry’s multi-billion dollar crown, generating hundreds of millions of dollars each year, primarily through betting and tourism.

“It is the crucial part of what has become a $2.5 billion industry, which, in turn, is the most successful in the country (???).

“Whereas Victoria accounts for about a quarter of the nation’s population, we account for about 35% of total racing industry employment.

“This reflects decades of reform and growth unleashed by the Kennett government in the mid-1990s, when it swept away a web of regulations governing where, how and even when racing could happen, right down to the time of day.

“It also liberated wagering, primarily by privatising the TAB, while deregulation shifted the focus to a festival-like atmosphere.

“If deregulation has given 25 years of economic success, re-regulation may be the key to a successful future, including all the jobs, direct and indirect, that the industry sustains across the state.

“The issue is not whether but what form new regulations should take, and the forms of education and training that might be compulsory for the industry to stay ahead of the pack.”

Emeritus Professor David Hayward is an economist and was, until recently, the Director of the Victorian Council of Social Service RMIT Future Social Service Institute. Before that, he was the Dean of RMIT’s School of Global, Urban and Social Studies for seven years. He has undertaken extensive research around the funding of social services and social policy and is a regular media commentator on the economy, budgets and politics.

Sports marketing

Associate Professor Con Stavros (0411 231 371 or con.stavros@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: marketing, sponsorship, fan behaviour, sports experience, consumptive practices, branding and promotion

“The Spring Racing Carnival is used to being in the spotlight, but 2019 brings extra scrutiny and attention that makes the job of racing authorities and their marketing teams particularly challenging. The carnival is having its timing questioned, apprehension over alcohol and gambling promotions and associations are never far away, and, perhaps most concerning of all, revelations around the treatment of racehorses has captured national attention. 

“These factors can coalesce to potentially take some of the lustre off the carnival, particularly given consumers and rights groups are increasingly vocal about social issues and how organisations and their stakeholders respond. Event organisers must be especially vigilant to ensure that influencers, celebrities and sponsoring brands remain willing to connect themselves to the carnival.

“Despite this, the clever marketing of the carnival as an event beyond racing will likely hold its strong position in the community for the foreseeable future. A move in the 1990s to more strongly align horseracing with fashion, food and fun has transformed the carnival, attracting huge crowds across all demographics who are just as interested in the atmosphere as the racing.”

Associate Professor Con Stavros is an internationally-renowned sport marketing expert at RMIT University who can analyse both the marketing of sport and the business of marketing through sport. He has a very strong understanding of the AFL and its clubs, has published extensively on the business of sport from consumer, sporting organisation and sponsor perspectives and is also the editor-in-chief of the international journal Sport, Business and Management. 

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