The NRL is set to expand betting to all matches throughout its new pre-season competition, but won’t stop coaches from naming expanded squads of up to 30 players and making mass personnel changes during games.
Just days after announcing a two-week summer competition before next year’s regular season, sources familiar with the situation have said the code flagged its intention to open up wagering on every trial game in a notice to bookmakers this week.
While the traditional All-Stars game and Charity Shield between the Rabbitohs and Dragons have previously offered betting markets, the NRL is intent on building a legitimate pre-season challenge competition from 2023.
It will include all 17 teams plus Super League champions St Helens, who will play St George Illawarra in a trial before taking on NRL premiers Penrith in the revived World Club Challenge. The tournament is set to be played for prize money, but the format is yet to be announced.
But the NRL’s plan to commercialise the pre-season is expected to include wagering, despite the matches traditionally being used as an opportunity to experiment with fringe players.
The Eels named 30 players alone for their trial win over the Panthers earlier this year and coaches will be reluctant to deviate from previous formulas designed build match fitness and manage injury risk.
Trial matches such as the Panthers and Eels will be liable to betting under the NRL’s new pre-season competition.Credit:Getty
All matches in the pre-season challenge will be played in different timeslots across the two weeks allowing broadcaster Foxtel to show each game live.
While they are intent on opening up betting on pre-season matches, the NRL has rejected a proposal from three major bookmakers to expand wagering to fantasy-inspired markets which include how many run metres, tackles or try assists a player might have in a game.
The AFL has long allowed its wagering partners to bet on statistics-based markets such as possessions, marks and tackles.
Anytime try-scorer has been a popular market for bettors, who often include stars in same-game multis which require a certain player to score a four-pointer.
The rise of fantasy competitions has meant NRL followers have become more interested in individual statistics during games, and bookmakers had pitched a new revenue stream to NRL executives.
But the NRL has no desire to go down a similar path to the AFL, informing the companies it was concerned about the integrity of the potential markets, and claiming it would open up players to further social media abuse from disgruntled punters.
