Whaddyareckon?: Melbourne Cup

It's that time of year again: time to pop the champers, plonk a silly hat on your head and crowd around the communal telly. This week we crash the office Melbourne Cup party for views on hats, horses and online betting.

From fronting up to Flemington to crowding around the wireless to kicking back in front of a plasma screen, the way Australians watch the Melbourne Cup each year reflects the technological development of the era.

The race that stops a nation has recently been dragged into a larger debate regarding Internet gambling. At the centre of the controversy is UK-based online betting exchange Betfair. Australian residents can use the service, but for now Betfair is only able to conduct marketing within Tasmania due to licensing restrictions. This could change soon, with the company pushing for legal changes to allow it to advertise in the mainland states and territories.

With constant rain thwarting our usual al fresco Whaddyareckoning, we went for a lap around the office to ask the race spectators about horses, hats and online betting. A few even took a stab at the eternal question: when it comes to watching the race, would you prefer plasma or LCD?

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