Australia can't get enough of crime, vice and the like, be it on television, on display at expos, or otherwise.
Media Man and Gambling911 have been hitting and phones and pounding the pavement in order to bring you the punter... er, reader, the hottest and freshest gambling, political and vice news found on the planet.
Australia is playing up its "love affair" with gambling and all matter of vice, with a new expo set to hit Sydney come 1st May - Sin City: Crime and Corruption In The 20th Century Sydney.
It's been a few years in the making and media rep Ruth Williams told us its bound to have some attraction to 'Underbelly' fans.
There's sort of expos are nothing new on a global scale, but this one is certain to give Las Vegas' equivalents a run for their money. Most of the items on display were secured by the strong arm of the law whilst on duty.
Former Australian High Court judge Michael Kirby has been weighing in on Australia's interest in crime, gambling, vice et al, and offers some of his thoughts...
Are government attempts to suppress popular desires such as lust, gambling and drug use ever really worth the effort?
Kirby poses these sort of question in his introduction to a book accompanying a new crime and lust fueled exhibition, Sin City, at the Justice & Police Museum.
Sin City celebrates... er, documents... we couldn't help ourselves... crime and corruption in Sydney, focusing on the 1960 to the '90s.
Sin is often in the eye of the beholder, and "the seven deadly sins, and especially lust, gambling and various drugs, are very hard to suppress", Kirby shares.
Kirby ... "it satisfies insatiable demands of their fellow citizens".
Exhibits of lust, gambling, porn a plenty via multimedia, print and more, with Fairfax Media getting in their 2 cents worth via Sydney Morning Herald clippings.
Tim Girling-Butcher is the brainchild of this vice fest. A kiwi (New Zealander), says of Aussie crime in the period "the stories were just staggering".
Gary Sturgess, a founder of the Independent Commission Against Corruption...U.S soldiers, many addicted to heroin, began arriving in their thousands on R&R. They would be searched at the airport where their drugs were taken from them (and sold back to them in the Cross days later).
Colourful and somewhat chequered characters who contributed to the expo via a series of interviews include Karl Bonnette (underworld), Geoff Schuberg (good cop), Roger Rogerson (bad cop), Don Stewart (Royal Commissioner) and Bob Bottom (author).
Gambling and vice super heavyweight and king in his day, Abe Saffron aka 'Mr Sin', is a focus of much discussion.
Media rep Ruth Williams tells us this is the true story of Sydney's 'Underbelly', whilst not dissing the current TV smash hit, noting cross over audience appeal, but firmly advises this expo was a number of years in the making.
Media Man is keen to see if their old mate and neighbour, 'Big' Tim Bristow gets a look in, and who shows up on the mug shot exhibit. MM also thinks the expo may further strengthen the case for an online and offline 'Underbelly' themed slot game, and maybe the same for the late, great Kerry Packer and 'Earthquake' Bristow. PartyGaming, WMS, Virgin and NextGen Gaming, we know your reading this, as are gaming and casino entrepreneurs the world over.
Sin City hits the Justice & Police Museum on May 1. Check out the impressive websites, currently being updates with more vice, at
http://www.hht.net.au
http://www.hht.net.au/sincity
Meantime, TV's 'Underbelly' is in line for a number of awards coming up live from James Packer owned Crown Casino this Sunday night, broadcast on Network Nine Australia from 7.30pm. Gambling911 and Media Man will be probing the affair in a way only they can do, with an in-house 'Underbelly' twist.
Punters, don't do anything we wouldn't do!
*Greg Tingle is a special contributor for Gambling911
*Media Man http://www.mediamanint.com is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company
*The writer owns shares in Crown Limited
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