A bomb has been dropped on Australian sport with a betting scandal being exposed partly by the sight of a man sitting in a picnic chair.
ABC’s Four Corners will on Monday night air incredible details about an investigation into a secret series of deals Australia’s biggest sporting organisations have struck with global betting agencies.
The AFL, NRL and Cricket Australia have all been named in the report, which has uncovered details of the multimillion-dollar agreements that allow corporate bookmakers to offer exotic betting markets in live play.
The most shocking detail in the report is a revelation Football Australia has been receiving a cut of betting revenue from markets offered on amateur-level competitions.
The incredible relationship has been highlighted by photos of a betting data analyst being accredited to collect information on a fifth-division football match in Melbourne, involving local club South Springvale.
The photo, captured by the ABC, shows the scout for sport data agency sportradar collecting live data during the match and sending it to betting agencies that are taking bets on the contest.
Under the terms of the agreement between Football Australia and sportradar, data scouts are accredited to attend amateur matches with betting markets for the amateur contest being offered by global betting giants, including Bet365.
Sportradar is a Switzerland-based company and recently listed NBA icon Michael Jordan as one of its major investors. Jordan was also recently named a “special adviser” to the company’s board of directors.
Sportradar is one of the central pieces in the rich betting agreements that exist between Football Australia and betting goliaths.
According to the ABC, Football Australia’s partnerships with betting agencies include details that allow the organisation to receive one per cent of all bets placed in Australia or up to 15 per cent of the bookmaker’s profit.
Prasad Kanitkar, a former trader with Bet365, told the ABC the amount of money held on bets on amateur Australian sporting contests was “quite shocking”.
The AFL and NRL also have deals with gambling companies that are worth millions of dollars.
The NRL has told the national broadcaster its gambling partnerships are worth around $50 million per year. The ABC reports the AFL also raked in between $30 million and $40 million through its betting agreements.
The NRL and Football Australia have released statements explaining why the partnerships exist.
Football Australia said the agreement allowed the governing body to better protect the sport’s integrity against the threat of rogue operations.
“We’re acutely aware of the potential risks and have a comprehensive integrity framework in place to manage these risks,” Football Australia said in the statement given to the ABC.
“In 2022, domestic product fees accounted for a very low portion of our total revenue. These fees are reinvested in our integrity services and various not-for-profit football development programs.”
News.com.au has contacted Football Australia for comment.
The NRL has also released a statement.
“This is done to safeguard the integrity of the sport and such agreements obviously restrict commercial outcomes,” the league said.
“Wagering makes up a relatively small, but important revenue stream which is reinvested into the game’s integrity, education, wellbeing, and participation programs.”
