{"id":655039,"date":"2026-05-07T07:34:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T07:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/655039\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T07:34:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T07:34:39","slug":"change-in-sportsbet-policy-engulfs-afl-identities-amid-scrutiny-of-gambling-links-afl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/655039\/","title":{"rendered":"Change in Sportsbet policy engulfs AFL identities amid scrutiny of gambling links | AFL"},"content":{"rendered":"

A subtle tweak of policy by Sportsbet has sent shockwaves through the AFL<\/a>, and embroiled a three-time premiership captain and an emerging female voice who judged last year\u2019s Norm Smith medal.<\/p>\n

Sportsbet, Australia\u2019s largest sports betting company and one of the AFL\u2019s major partners, changed its rules this week in response to growing public anger of the work with the wagering firm by AFL umpire Nick Foot<\/a>. Although there is no suggestion he has ever been compromised, Foot was forced to step down from his role offering horse racing analysis.<\/p>\n

\u201cNick has appeared on our \u2018Get On\u2019 racing coverage in a racing\u2011only capacity,\u201d a Sportsbet spokesperson said on Monday. \u201cFollowing feedback, we\u2019ve decided to no longer feature any serving sports administrators or officials in our programming, to ensure clear separation from their official roles.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s move triggered a cascading reaction that has heaped pressure on other betting companies and individuals, and raised questions about just what a serving sports administrator or official is, and when conflicts \u2013 perceived or actual \u2013 become too much.<\/p>\n

Kane Cornes stepped down from his role as an AFL All-Australian selector in order to keep his role with Sportsbet. \u201cI really enjoy the work at Sportsbet,\u201d the former Port Adelaide player told Channel Seven on Tuesday. \u201cNow that Sportsbet have made the policy change they did, there was no other option.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former player and AFL media personality Kane Cornes. Photograph: Morgan Hancock\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Cornes hosts a Sportsbet weekly production with former AFLW player and Triple M commentator Kate McCarthy. The 33-year-old is currently a selector for the AFLW All-Australian team and was part of the esteemed group of five judges who awarded the Norm Smith medal to Will Ashcroft last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

McCarthy declined to comment to the Guardian on Thursday when asked to clarify her roles with the AFL and Sportsbet. She published an article on the Sportsbet website on Wednesday, appearing to signal she \u2013 like Cornes \u2013 would remain with Sportsbet.<\/p>\n

She did not appear on her regular show alongside Cornes, however, when it was uploaded on Wednesday. Host Jason Richardson addressed her absence, saying she was sick. \u201cWe\u2019re one superstar down in K-Mac [McCarthy], get well soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

If McCarthy stays with Sportsbet, the company\u2019s policy change makes it impossible for her to be involved in Norm Smith voting again while working with the wagering company. Sportsbet\u2019s public statements also bring into question her place on the AFLW All-Australian panel. Neither the AFL or Sportsbet, however, have an issue with her remaining in that role given Sportsbet does not offer betting on All-Australian selections in the women\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n

Kate McCarthy at the AFLW Awards at Crown Palladium in 2024. Photograph: Con Chronis\/AAP<\/p>\n

The saga has now also engulfed others. Former Brisbane captain Luke Hodge works with Tabcorp and was appointed an AFL All-Australian selector in February on the panel alongside Cornes.<\/p>\n

Hodge was asked directly by journalist Caroline Wilson on Tuesday night whether he would follow Cornes\u2019s lead. \u201cI haven\u2019t had any notice of that [a requirement to step down] from TAB or any of their employees with any official role,\u201d he said on Channel Seven. \u201cI only just heard of Kane\u2019s [situation] before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hodge and Tabcorp did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday as the company \u2013 which is now managed by chief executive Gillon McLachlan, the long-time AFL executive \u2013 became the focus of a new betting scandal. The company lost a quarter of its share price after it reported to the ASX it was being investigated by Austrac due to \u201cserious concerns\u201d from the regulator over its ability to manage risks around money laundering and terrorism financing.<\/p>\n

No others have recused themselves from official roles with the AFL since Cornes\u2019s announcement, but the situation has drawn criticism from some within the game. Former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire called on the AFL to clarify the situation. \u201cHow about if the AFL comes out and says from here on in, if you are getting a payment from a betting company you are disqualified from voting on any award or being involved in anything that has a betting component,\u201d he told Channel Nine on Tuesday on the Footy Classified program, which has featured Tab-sponsored segments.<\/p>\n

Despite the growing presence of betting within AFL, not all football analysts have chosen to align themselves with the bookmaking sector. Channel Seven\u2019s Abbey Holmes, the former AFLW player who sits alongside Hodge on the AFL All-Australian panel, shared a personal story on the Gambler\u2019s Help website in 2020, describing a close friend\u2019s gambling addiction. \u201cI hope that by sharing his story, we can raise some awareness and provide hope for anyone else out there who might be struggling with this horrible addiction,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In Australia, Gambling Help Online<\/a> is available on 1800 858 858. The National Debt Helpline<\/a> is at 1800 007 007. In the UK, support for problem gambling can be found via the NHS National Problem Gambling Clinic<\/a> on 020 7381 7722, or GamCare<\/a> on 0808 8020 133. In the US, call the National Council on Problem Gambling<\/a> on 1-800-MY-RESET<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A subtle tweak of policy by Sportsbet has sent shockwaves through the AFL, and embroiled a three-time premiership…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":655040,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-655039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=655039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/655039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/655040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=655039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=655039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=655039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}