Punting Profiles: Eddie Hayson

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In some circles he is known as Fast Eddie. In others, simply, The Prince. And in the bookmaking fraternity, terms like The Big Dog and The Man are often bandied in reference to Eddie Hayson. In only a few years, Eddie Hayson has become one of the biggest punters in Australia, hitting the turf satchel swingers and the high flying corporate books with a flurry of well-informed bets, mammoth wagers and market altering throws. Living in a town that loves to look on those who bet large, Hayson may well be the biggest gambler in town. He is at least the biggest in view of the public eye. Like so many before him- George Freeman, Eric Connolly, Bob Trimboli to name but a few- Hayson has fascinated Sydney Town with the size and types of bets he has as well as walking the fine line that enthralls so many between legitimate and underworld. He is the man who strikes fear into the hearts of bookies the country over.

Born into wealth, Fast Eddie was never on struggle street. Well, not before he found the world of gambling. It all ended in bankruptcy when he couldn’t afford to pay Sydney bookmaker Con Kafataris $25,000 he had lost betting horses. Unlike previous occasions, his well-to-do mother would not bail her son out. This time it was on Eddie. Hayson was forced into bankruptcy until he repaid the debt with a few points of interest on top. In hindsight, the debt seems most measly to take the knock on.

But things would soon pick up for Hayson and as they did, the spotlight of public view would shine brightly upon him. Hayson, up until recent times, was just another anonymous punter, betting the ponies and betting the rugby league. Then, in entering into ownership of renowned Sydney brothel Stilleto’s with a convicted drug trafficker, notoriety began to attach itself to the name Eddie Hayson. As business improved for Hayson, the wagering began to grow, the newfound money feeding an already ingrained habit.

It has been estimated that in recent times, Hayson has turned over $100 million per year on the punt. If the size of his bets that reach the public domain, there is little reason to doubt this. His bets sometimes tally $2 million over the course of a weekend, a significant re-raise over fate. He is certainly what one would call big time.

Where Hayson first reached the public eye was on the hallowed and ancient settings of Sydney racecourses. Not that the provincials and the bush meets were beyond Hayson’s reach or below his stature. Hayson was betting up big. And he was winning. Well known lawyer and former high rolling punter Chris Murphy has said on more than one occasion that the game will always get you. It had him and the many who had held his spot before and since. Nobody can beat the ring, he figured. Not in the long run.

So when somebody soon does, the whispers and smells of foul play permeate. Particularly when those on the winning side of the ledger have an air of infamy and a reputation built on rumour and innuendo.

Having backed plenty of shortening winners, Hayson soon caught the eye of those who hadn’t been hooked up by the rumour mill. This included racing officialdom and turf scribes. Big plunges and large bets were all attributed to Hayson and most of the time, the mill had it right. Having found his way into racehorse ownership, Hayson attracted even more attention when plunging one of his own steeds. Big rolls on first starter’s like Typhoon Zed saw his name in the papers and when allegations of impropriety in races that Hayson had bet on gained a public forum, perceptions formed by rumour and gossip was taken as truth. Soon the stewards wanted to ask Hayson questions about horses like Interfere and Flying Song and Contrast. Phone records were checked and betting sheets were examined. Hayson was never charged with any offence but his name was dragged through mud and the newspapers. He said his good fortune was down to good information and good form analysis, betting only when he believes he has found a real good bet.

Hayson fought back by going on the offensive against Chief Steward Ray Murrihy. The head stipe was ambushed in a television interview on Sunday by a journalist sympathetic to Hayson and Hayson and his supporters continued to poke at Murrihy from afar.

Hayson had made plenty of friends from the racing game. He became close with a number of jockeys and had plenty of sources in all the big stables. He also met a number of footballers, including the Johns brothers. Rugby league was his other great love and he was happy to mix with the best.

This caused plenty of angst among the bookmaking fraternity and still does. Hayson had placed some interesting bets on Newcastle Knights games which raised the interest of oddsmakers and the league. A number of games saw big bets placed and a massive shortening of odds thereafter, followed by the release of some crucial information from the Knights camp. Eddie Hayson won plenty last season when getting on the Warriors straight out and with 16 ½ start before information became publicly available that star Andrew Johns had hurt himself at training and would not play. It is believed Hayson got set for around $150,000 and he won all bets in a canter. But this level of bet was smaller than what he was getting on for a number of years back, betting seven figures on some games. Game three of the 2005 State of Origin series was one such game, where Hayson cheered on the Blues to a big, big win. Bookies now treat his bets with the utmost respect, prices tumbling when one of his bowlers is recognised to be getting on for him or the word down the line is it is money from The Prince. He bets so big that it is he who drives the market.

While he has made plenty from the racing game and probably more from the footy, it is a large coup on a run-of-the-mill midweek greyhound race at the Gold Coast. Hayson got set for plenty with South Australian bookmaker Curly Seal, who bet Unitab prices. Seal took the massive bet because he knew the chosen dog, Lucy’s Light, was a short priced favourite, hovering around the $1.10 mark. Lucy’s Light, in the small field, was a good thing. What Seal hadn’t counted on was the Hayson operation betting big amounts on the tote on all other dogs, blowing out the price of Lucy’s Light. When she saluted, she won at $13 on Unitab. It took over a year of investigation and court action before Hayson got most of the nearly $700,000 figure he won. This well orchestrated, cunningly invented, completely legal coup won Hayson not only plenty of scratch but a place in the annals of Australian punting lore.

As of writing, Eddie Hayson still continues to roll big. He has not been scared off by public attention or the glare of racing officialdom or the tightening of the screws by oddsmen. And as he continues to roll on, the fascination gets deeper. Where this high wire punting scene will end is anybody’s guess. There is no blue print and while popular wisdom says his time will come, there have been plenty who have left with the bookies cash. Whilst the ending has no certainty, the one sure thing is the ride will be enthralling.