The online betting industry has caved in to public pressure and will push for a ban on the promotion of live odds in sports broadcasts.
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Gambling industry bosses will hold a crisis meeting with TV representatives on Friday to present an 11th-hour proposal to stop betting spruikers interrupting football coverage. To succeed, the proposal needs the support of the TV networks and wagering giant Tabcorp.
Amid speculation the government is preparing to step in to address the public backlash, the leadership of the Australian Wagering Council, representing the seven corporate bookmakers, resolved on Thursday to push for a tougher TV code of practice.
The council, led by Cormac Barry, the chief executive of SportsBet, has drafted its own suggested code. It was sent to council board members, including Tom Waterhouse, on Thursday afternoon.
Mr Waterhouse declined to comment but there is speculation that he may have to quit his seat on the board of the council if he does not agree and wants to fight to stay on air.
Sportingbet chief executive Michael Sullivan said the proposal, if adopted, would mean no interruption by bookies during sports broadcasts.
''It's really just what the community has been asking for,'' he said.
A gambling industry executive who did not wish to be named said: ''During the consultation period [for the TV code of conduct] public sentiment has moved quickly and we are trying to respond, trying to address the resentment.''
The U-turn by the council - which had pushed for maximum freedoms for advertisers in its March submission to the parliamentary committee reviewing the industry - follows the extraordinary intervention by Mr Sullivan.
On Thursday, he blamed Mr Waterhouse for single-handedly turning public opinion against the industry, saying the outcry was ''affecting all our businesses''.
He was also critical of the Nine Network for allowing Mr Waterhouse to appear so frequently as part of its $9.5 million tie-up with the the 30-year-old bookie.
Wagering Council members will meet in Sydney with FreeTV, the peak body for the free-to-air TV networks, and the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association.
FreeTV chief executive Julie Flynn declined to comment on whether the industry would consider last-minute changes to the proposed code put out for public consultation in April.
Under the proposal, commentators would be prohibited from promoting odds, but Mr Waterhouse and other gambling representatives would be free to spruik odds before games, during half and quarter time breaks and at the final whistle.
Ms Flynn said: ''We are still going through the process of preparing the code for submission to the ACMA [Australian Communications and Media Authority] and we will not be commenting further.''
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy may still be forced to intervene to quell the public anger before Labor backbenchers are given the chance to instead back NSW MP Stephen Jones in his bid to stiffen gambling laws through a private members bill. Mr Jones, who will address caucus on the issue on Tuesday, said on Thursday he believed he had the majority support of caucus and the ''overwhelming'' backing of the Australian public.
After his bruising encounter with media companies over reform, Senator Conroy has been reluctant to intervene in the process before the code is considered by ACMA.
He has been in close touch with TV networks and Fairfax has learned he has also met SportsBet and Sportingbet recently. A SportsBet spokesman said: ''Sportsbet regularly meets with a range of political stakeholders to discuss regulatory issues affecting the industry.''
