Office of Responsible Gambling raises concerns with Sydney Swans over Tom Papley’s new punting podcast

A Swans star’s new gambling podcast has drawn the ire of the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling, with the Swans in the midst of partnerships with anti-gambling organisations.

A new punting podcast co-hosted by Sydney’s Tom Papley has drawn concern from the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The NSW Office of Responsible Gambling has raised concerns with the Sydney Swans over a new punting podcast co-hosted by star forward Tom Papley.

The Swans are in the third year of a partnership with GambleAware and the Reclaim the Game initiative which aims to tackle the normalising of sports betting.

Papley and horse racing analyst Jack Dickens launched The Early Crow podcast last week and it is described as a show where the duo will have their take on “sports tips, news and opinion with a dynamic blend of expert analysis, AFL insight and special guests from two larrikins”.

“While there is no affiliation between the Swans and the aforementioned podcast, we have raised concerns directly with the Swans, who are treating the matter very seriously,” a spokesperson for the Office of Responsible Gambling said.

“...The Office of Responsible Gambling works closely with the Sydney Swans and has confidence in their ongoing commitment to Reclaim the Game.”

The Swans have no affiliation with the podcast and said they are in discussions with Papley about his involvement.

Papley is Sydney’s leading goal-kicker this year with 35 goals in 20 games. Picture: Phil Hillyard

“We’re obviously disappointed that’s occurred, we’ve spoken to Tom,” Sydney Chairman Andrew Pridham said.

“I think we’re well aware of it and it’s something we want to manage carefully.

“We obviously have a lot of corporate partners and GambleAware is one of them. It’s important to us that we respect those corporate partners.

“Anyone that’s associated with the club and what they’re doing in relation to our brand – we can’t control what people do outside of our brand, everyone is a free citizen – but that everyone demonstrates alignment with what we support.”

The Swans have affirmed their commitment to GambleAware and the Reclaim the Game initiative.

Pridham also confirmed that while the Swans aren’t opposed to their players being interested in gambling, the club knows they have a responsibility when it comes to the messaging around it.

“As the most supported professional sporting club in Australia, we know there’s a place for gambling in Australia — people enjoy it, it’s a leisure people have, we understand that,” he said.

“But there are limits and people have to be responsible in the way they do it.

“I don’t think that sporting clubs promoting gambling is a sensible thing in the community today. We’re all in on that.”

The Swans said they have spoken to the forward on the matter. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

As part of the partnership, the Swans have discontinued any sports betting advertising or sponsorship at home games at the SCG.

Papley is a horse racing fan and makes regular appearances on SEN Track to talk about his best tips.

In the opening minutes of the first episode, Papley talks about his betting strategy.

“When the gates open, if your arse doesn’t quiver just a little bit, you haven’t got enough on,” Papley said.

His co-host Dickens later says: “Gamble responsibly and it would be responsible, if possible, to rort each and every promo tool available to you out there.”

The first episode featured Papley’s teammate Nick Blakey as a guest. It was a hit with fans, rising up into the top 10 sports podcasts on Spotify in Australia.

The two Swans players also made it clear that they have never laid a bet on the AFL and never intend to.

The Office of Responsible Gambling reiterated the point that while they had raised concerns with the podcast, they look forward to continuing to work with the Swans.

“The Swans have taken this opportunity to reconfirm their strong commitment to the program, and the Office of Responsible Gambling looks forward to their continued partnership on Reclaim the Game,” a spokesperson said.

“The Swans have shown their support for the initiative by publicly turning down all sports betting advertising and sponsorships, and by educating their fans and members about the risks of gambling.

“Overall, Reclaim the Game has proved to be an overwhelming success with 15 teams from five codes signing up since its launch in 2020.

“The Sydney Swans have been and will continue to be an important part of this success. We look forward to continuing to work with them, our other existing partners, and other clubs, codes and players who want to get behind this initiative and help us Reclaim the Game.”

Originally published as Office of Responsible Gambling raises concerns with Sydney Swans over Tom Papley’s new punting podcast