Rugby league is resisting the wider reduction in gambling sponsorships as new and upgraded deals for NRL clubs consolidate community penetration of sports betting.
Approximately half of the NRL competition maintains prominent partnerships with gambling entities, far higher than the share in the AFL or other sports, according to research carried out by Swinburne University of Technology's Sport Innovation Research Group.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo is due to appear alongside his AFL counterpart Gillon McLachlan at a hearing of the House of Representatives committee looking into online gambling on Tuesday.
English Premier League soccer clubs are reportedly set to ban sports betting sponsorships on kits as early as this week. Eight out of 20 EPL clubs wear logos of gambling companies.
The proportion of clubs with gambling deals in Australian sport overall is far lower. Just 21 wagering partnerships were recorded in Australia across 14 major sports midway through last year according to the Swinburne University of Technology research. The university's Sport Innovation Research Group director Adam Karg said gambling sponsorship overall was in decline.
"There has been a lot of fan and member sentiment, particularly around professional sport and those teams' involvement with gambling sponsorships," he said.
"If we go back five or six years, there's a lot more direct involvement between gambling companies and what we see today, and that's largely as professional teams move away from those partnerships."
League outlier
Rugby league appears to be at odds with the rest of the sector. Elite rugby league has nine jersey sponsorships with gambling or casino partners in 2023, and there is no sign of a sponsorship slowdown.
The Dolphins debuted with BlueBet prominent on the rear of their jersey this year. PalmerBet has upgraded its deal with the Newcastle Knights from the front collar to the shoulders this season. Gold Coast bookie TopSport upgraded its deal with the Titans to appear on the shorts this season. And the Panthers and Sharks continue to play in stadiums named after wagering brands.
Associate Professor Karg said it was not clear why NRL clubs had been slower to move away from gambling sponsorship than their counterparts in other codes.
A submission to the House of Representatives inquiry from the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports (COMPPS) – which includes the NRL – said the league had taken some steps to address concerns in the community about exposure to gambling.
These include the controlled use of LED displays to ensure advertising from the NRL's betting sponsor was not visible on broadcasts and barring betting advertising on national team and All Stars jerseys (although The Star still sponsors the NSW Blues).
Gambling sponsorships of sports clubs and stadiums were banned in Spain in 2020, leaving six top football clubs without a shirt sponsor for the following season.
Late last year, Entain, owner of Ladbrokes, announced it would no longer sponsor Australian sporting teams. Its submission to the inquiry stated it was out of respect for "community sentiment around this issue".
On the other hand, Sportsbet maintains sponsorship as part of its marketing strategy. "The revenue generated from advertising and sponsorship income provides vital economic support to the sporting, racing and media sectors, and directly sustains grassroot community funding, especially regionally," its submission stated.
Committee focus
The appearance by Mr Abdo and Mr McLachlan at the committee is highly anticipated, following COMPPS's submission which opposed regulatory change.
"The sports believe the current rules combined with additional measures adopted by the sports strike a reasonable and responsible balance between the public interest in regulating gambling advertisement and minimising problem gambling and the ability of legitimate, regulated wagering businesses to operate," it stated.
Subsequently, Mr McLachlan said on radio station 3AW that he agreed there was too much advertising.
"I think there is probably too much, yeah.
"I don't have a problem that other people do around wagering; I just think the volume is too much; it’s in your face."
While fewer club sponsorship deals are being signed, most major codes continue to have direct relationships with gambling companies.
The wagering partner for the NRL and AFL is market leader SportsBet, whose CEO Barni Evans is also appearing at the inquiry on Tuesday. The relationship extends to live odds for each match being shown on the fixture pages, together with a link to SportsBet, within the codes' official websites.
Broadcast revenue – underpinned by hundreds of millions of dollars in annual gambling advertising – remains the largest source of income for bodies such as the AFL and NRL.
It far exceeds the value of wagering partnerships or the arrangements the codes have with individual bookies over product fees. The codes also benefit by being featured in betting promotions displayed beyond traditional sports content.
Committee chair and Labor MP Peta Murphy said the committee was eager to speak to the sports' CEOs.
"We'll be asking them if they have read the evidence we've got before the committee about gambling harms and the suggestions for change and whether that impacts their written submission and position," she said.
"I note that Gillon McLachlan has recently been on radio saying he thinks perhaps there is too much advertising of sports betting, so it will be interesting to see what he says to the committee."
Mr Abdo and Mr McLachlan will appear by videoconference.
