Over the course of the past year, the Australian sports market has been plagued by controversy involving betting scandals. Industry regulators are working hard to stop such scandals from occurring, and a new ban has been introduced to further this cause. This week, the Australian Football League (AFL) has banned the media from betting on matches during game day.
They will not be able to wager on a match the day it is taking place throughout a certain time period. This will span 2 hours before the game and the entire period that the game is taking place. The measure has been put in place to protect the integrity of the sport. Players and managers have already been banned from betting, as they can use insider information to wager on sport.
The same potential danger applies to members of the media, who are close to the action at all times during a game. As media has access to information such as tactics, team selection and injuries, there is the chance that they may use this to inform their bets. The AFL continues to crack down on illegal betting, and insider betting.
It is important that the sport is kept free from these crimes, so that spectators and players can enjoy the game without any corruption. The ban will apply to any accredited members of the media who are ‘working at present’ at the sports ground. This means that over 1000 journalists, radio hosts, television presents, photographers, videographers and production staff will be banned from placing bets before and during games.
Should media members place any wagers outside of the restricted period, their bets will be assessed by the AFL to ensure that they have not used insider information. The ban will begin during the 2016 AFL year, which starts on 24 March with a match between Richmond and Carlton at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
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