NRL to reduce Tom Waterhouse's on-air role

The NRL has told a parliamentary hearing into gambling reform that bookmaker Tom Waterhouse will now have a reduced role in Channel 9's rugby league coverage.

Waterhouse signed a multi-million dollar deal to be a part of Nine's commentary team for the 2013 NRL season and has featured heavily during the opening three rounds of the season.

Not only has the 30-year-old spruiked his odds during the coverage, he has also given his opinion on games as part of a panel of experts.

The NRL has told the hearing in Sydney on Wednesday that Waterhouse's role had blurred the line between a bookmaker and a commentator and would be changed.

"I think it's plain that in the first round of the competition, the line was a bit blurred," NRL's general manager for strategic projects Shane Mattiske told the hearing.

"What you'll see in the most recent round, and moving forward, is a clear separation when someone is talking about sports odds and when the commentary team is talking about the match itself."

In practical terms, Waterhouse will no longer be permitted to be on camera with another member of Nine's commentary team and he will not be able to give his opinion on the match.

Waterhouse's segments will be accompanied by a graphic that states he is a bookmaker and not a commentator. He will also be made to hold a Tom Waterhouse microphone, not one bearing the Channel 9 logo.

The hearing's committee chairman, independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie, said Waterhouse had been invited to appear at the hearing but was not available.

Before Wednesday's changes were announced, Greens senator Richard di Natale said Waterhouse was "a lightning rod for anger" about the growing prevalence of gambling advertisements.

"Young kids can't tell the difference between a bookie and a commentator when they're all standing there together," Di Natale told Fairfax.

"Tom Waterhouse has been a lightning rod for the anger that's brewing about the constant bombardment of betting odds on TV, often when kids are watching."

Gambling advertising is banned during G-rated shows, but an exception is made for sports coverage.

Waterhouse's deal to become the NRL's official betting partner is another feather in the cap of a man who has rapidly become one of the major players in the gambling industry.

According to reports last week, the 30-year-old has been offered at least $500 million to sell his thriving business.

But his increasing presence during sports coverage has led to some politicians to declare "enough is enough".

"I think I am in union with most average football fans when I say: enough is enough," Labor member Stephen Jones told Parliament last week.

"I have spoken to many people within my electorate, many other sports fans and many other parents on this matter, and they just about explode when you raise the issue with them.

"They complain their kids can now quote the odds on their team winning or losing."