Tom Waterhouse
| Tom Waterhouse | |
|---|---|
Waterhouse with wife Hoda Vakili in October 2012
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| Born |
Thomas Robert Waterhouse 11 June 1982 Sydney, Australia |
| Residence | Balmoral, New South Wales |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney |
| Occupation | CEO of William Hill Australia |
| Spouse(s) | Hoda Vakili |
| Parent(s) |
Robbie Waterhouse Gai Waterhouse |
| Relatives |
Bill Waterhouse (grandfather) Tommy J. Smith (grandfather) |
| Website | tomwaterhouse |
Thomas Robert "Tom" Waterhouse (born 11 June 1982) is an Australian bookmaker and the CEO of William Hill Australia. Waterhouse is a fourth generation bookmaker, and the great grandson of one of the first official bookmakers in Australia.
His grandfathers on both sides were involved in the racing industry. William "Bill" Waterhouse was a successful bookmaker in the 1960s and 1970s. The late trainer Tommy J. Smith, trained 279 Group One winners, including two Melbourne Cup winners.
Waterhouse was born in Sydney and educated at Shore in North Sydney, where he became senior prefect and house captain. He studied a bachelor of Commerce & Liberal Studies at Sydney University, majoring in finance and marketing with the intention of working in finance.
In 2001, Waterhouse's father, Robbie Waterhouse, asked him if he would help out at Rosehill racecourse, which Waterhouse enjoyed. He was only six months into his Commerce degree, but he immediately rearranged his timetable so that he could attend the races for the rest of the week.
After obtaining his bookmaking licence he began working as a bookmaker on course in 2003. By 2008, Waterhouse was Australia's biggest on-track bookmaker, holding more than $20 million over four days at the Melbourne Cup carnival, more than all the other bookmakers combined.
For four years Waterhouse lived in Melbourne's Crown Casino for most of the week due to the protectionist betting laws in NSW.
Waterhouse's online gambling business is tomwaterhouse.com. The business is owned by a network of companies owned by Robbie, Louise (Robbie's sister) and Tom Waterhouse. The company is one of Australia's largest corporate bookmakers, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin, and claims a client list of 100 "high-net-worth individuals" whose minimum bet is $1000.
In 2013, the escalating presence of tomwaterhouse.com promotions and editorial commentary on free-to-air television led to a significant backlash from the Australian public against Waterhouse personally and the wider gambling industry. In 2013, Tom Waterhouse declined an invitation to appear before a federal parliamentary committee into gambling reform. Tom Waterhouse released a statement to the committee denying that his advertising during sports broadcasts intentionally targeted children.
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Wikipedia