BetEasy and the AFL have signed a new deal meaning the league will have an official sports wagering partner until the end of 2025.
Football and betting industry sources said the agreement is worth around the same as the last deal which was reportedly $10 million per year, but that there will be a reduction of betting ads shown during AFL games at Marvel Stadium and the MCG. The exact reduction is yet to be settled on.
Gillon McLachlan.Credit: AAP
The AFL's commercial operations manager Kylie Rogers said the new deal follows a league review of the Australian wagering sector and listening to stakeholder feedback.
“Working in conjunction with BetEasy, from this season there will be a reduction of in-stadium
advertising at Marvel Stadium and the MCG, and greater collaboration on responsible wagering
outcomes nationally," Rogers said.
“The AFL continues to support a strongly-regulated Australian-based sports wagering sector and works closely with all agencies to uphold the integrity of our game, through shared intelligence
and reporting. Our partnership allows us to invest back into increased integrity measures and
other areas of football.”
BetEasy chief executive officer Andrew Menz said: “We are pleased to extend our relationship
with the AFL which sets the bar for integrity and fan engagement among Australian sports.”
The Age had earlier reported the deal was set to run for less than five years however discussions resulted in no reduction in contract length.
The AFL owns Marvel Stadium so can negotiate what advertising is shown on the stadium's LED signage while as the main sporting tenant at the MCG it was also able to influence what advertising is shown there.
Last week The Age reported that AFL players, led by Western Bulldogs captain Easton Wood, will discuss taking a pay cut to reduce the AFL industry's gambling revenue.
While the AFL understands it has a role to play in this as the sport's governing body, the league's view is that the player push relates more to the money media companies and broadcasters take from sports wagering to fund the purchase of broadcast rights.
Channel Seven, Telstra and Fox Footy paid a combined $2.508 billion for the current six-year broadcast deal, which ends after the 2022 season.
"It's on the agenda. It's going to be spoken about. We spoke at the PA that it's an important topic to bring up and see where players land on it. That's the thing. We need to see where the playing group lands on it and go from there," Wood said.