National Interest

If you're a gambling person you might be familiar with the concept of 'spread betting'. That's when you wager money on the outcome of an event - for example, the number of times Kevin Rudd uses the expression 'fair dinkum' in the course of an interview. But you don't have to get the number exactly right to win something - spread betting is about how close you get to the right outcome. So, you can wager a spread bet on just about anything - including financial markets. But now, there's a legal - and perhaps philosophical - issue at stake: should 'financial spread betting' be considered gambling, or is it simply a form of stock market investment? The Australian Taxation Office needs to know and there's a stash of cash at stake.

Guests

Glenn Dyer
Business and media writer, Crikey

Further Information

Crikey

Presenter

Peter Mares

Producer

James Panichi

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