FOURTH-GENERATION bookmaker Tom Waterhouse, who took Melbourne betting rings by storm last year, yesterday rejected suggestions that he had deserted Victorian racing, maintaining that he would field on course again later this year, reports The Age.It says: Waterhouse, in his short time on metropolitan tracks in Melbourne, established staggering turnover figures with many believing he was the most dominant operator during the spring carnival.''I'm setting up a rather unique internet business but
FOURTH-GENERATION bookmaker Tom Waterhouse, who took Melbourne betting rings by storm last year, yesterday rejected suggestions that he had deserted Victorian racing, maintaining that he would field on course again later this year, reports The Age.
It says: Waterhouse, in his short time on metropolitan tracks in Melbourne, established staggering turnover figures with many believing he was the most dominant operator during the spring carnival.
''I'm setting up a rather unique internet business but I'm only going slowly at it because I want to get it right,'' Waterhouse said yesterday. ''At this stage the clients are my family and close friends, but in time I hope to make it bigger. I really enjoyed my time in Melbourne, I'm still based in Melbourne, I have a Melbourne licence and my business is via phone betting, which is at Moonee Valley. However, once I've got my new businesses going I'll be back at the racecourse.
''That's what I really enjoy, engaging with punters on course. I want to branch out in sports betting, that seems to be the growth area and I find from time to time clients are saying they'd rather the one-stop-shop situation. By that I mean a bet on the races, the footy and the tennis.''
Waterhouse's father and grandfather have been dominant figures in bookmaking for the past half century while his mother, Gai Waterhouse, is one of Australia's leading trainers.
Waterhouse's appearance on Melbourne racecourses last year generated a lot of money from across Australia, which helped reinvigorate on-course bookmakers who had been largely overshadowed by corporate operators.