The extent to which gambling advertising has infiltrated sport has been well-documented in Crikey’s Punted series. It is inescapable.
Every week, Australians are bombarded via our televisions with betting tips from former players, while clubs sign deals with the same betting agencies that hire executives from the AFL.
The AFL’s deals with gambling companies are reported (by one of the media figures on this Crikey list, no less) to be worth between $30-$40 million in product fees alone, plus an additional $8 million in sponsorship and another $1-$3 million in signage.
It would therefore come as no surprise that there are a glut of media figures who are happily involved with betting companies, whether it be providing tips or producing content.
Crikey has compiled a non-exhaustive list of individuals connected to the AFL — from commentators to former players to investigative journalists — that involve themselves publicly with the betting industry. Some have made appearances in advertisements for betting agencies while working in football media, while others are signed as ambassadors, writing tips and featuring in content on social media.
When asked his thoughts on sports media figures being involved with betting companies, veteran sports journalist Gideon Haigh told Crikey: “People will swim through shit for a dollar.”
Nathan Brown
A two-time All-Australian who played 219 AFL games for the Western Bulldogs and Richmond, Brown is a host of The Sunday Footy Show on Nine. He is an ambassador for Sportsbet and presents betting odds and tips in television advertisements for the company. Brown’s tips have been criticised for being largely unsuccessful by social media account @TrackMyBrown, which notes his tips are currently down $853 on the year to date, assuming $20 stakes. Brown also co-hosts Sportsbet’s In The Back Pocket podcast, and at the time of writing has 4,967 followers on Sportsbet’s platform for sharing tips.
Josh Jenkins
Adelaide’s leading goalkicker for 2018, Jenkins played 149 AFL games for Adelaide and Geelong between 2012 and 2021. Jenkins attaches his name to tips for Sportsbet, and his LinkedIn notes he has been involved with the betting agency dating back to August 2018. He has 5,626 followers on the Sportsbet tipping platform at time of writing.
Daniel Gorringe
Former Gold Coast Suns and Carlton ruckman Daniel Gorringe is a popular social media personality and the face of Sportsbet’s online presence. At the time of writing, Gorringe’s podcast Dan Does Footy is listed by Spotify as the 12th ranked podcast in Australia and the top sports podcast. He has 13,200 followers on Sportsbet’s tipping platform at time of writing.
Kane Cornes
Cornes played 300 AFL games for Port Adelaide, retiring in 2015. He was a two-time All-Australian, and has served as an All-Australian selector since 2022. He has penned a weekly football opinion column in The Age since March 2023, has hosted AFL.com.au’s The Round So Far and The Round That Was show since 2018, and is also a host of The Sunday Footy Show and Footy Classified on Nine. Cornes recently moved from Nine to AFL broadcast rights holder Seven, and in a press release was described as the “football media’s most quoted voice”. Cornes featured in a Sportsbet advertisement in 2022 that came under fire from Media Watch. Grilled afterwards on the matter, Cornes called it “a bit of fun”, but said while he didn’t regret doing the ad, being questioned by Footy Classified cohost Caroline Wilson gave him “pause”. Cornes also currently co-hosts Sportsbet’s In The Back Pocket podcast, and regularly attaches his name to tips for the agency. He has 4,687 followers on the company’s tipping platform at time of writing.
Sam McClure
McClure is a sports journalist with The Age, and hosts 3AW’s Wide World of Sports. He was also featured in the controversial 2022 Sportsbet ad alongside Cornes and AFL Media’s Damian Barrett. The ad aired just a few months after an investigation by McClure into the AFL’s relationship with gambling, which also inspired an editorial by The Age on the issue. Following the Media Watch segment, Age editor Michael Bachelard apologised to readers, calling McClure’s involvement in the advertisement “a clear conflict of interest, and unacceptable”. Then executive editor (now Nine’s head of publishing) Tory Maguire told Media Watch it was “a bit of a mix up”, and that it was “not normally something we’d normally allow Age journalists to participate in”.
Damian Barrett
Barrett has worked for AFL Media since 2018 as chief correspondent, and has worked in football media since 1990. Barrett was also featured in the 2022 Sportsbet ad alongside McClure and Cornes, and when criticised by the Herald Sun’s chief football writer Mark Robinson, said he was “not going to apologise for it [the advertisement]”.
Isaac Smith
A four-time premiership player and Norm Smith medallist, Smith played 280 AFL games at Hawthorn and Geelong between 2011 and 2023. Smith co-hosts Sportsbet’s In The Back Pocket podcast and attaches his name to tips for the agency. He has 4,010 followers on Sportsbet’s tipping platform at time of writing.
Who have we missed on this list? Write to the author at dsaeed@crikey.com.au or tip us off anonymously and securely by clicking here.
Kate McCarthy
McCarthy is a former All-Australian who played for Brisbane, St Kilda and Hawthorn and currently commentates with rights holders Seven. She co-hosts Sportsbet’s In The Back Pocket podcast, and is involved in the company’s “TV integrations” as well. She has 1,777 followers on Sportsbet’s tipping platform at time of writing.
James Brayshaw
Brayshaw has worked in sports media for almost 30 years, and currently leads Seven’s AFL coverage as a commentator and presenter, having moved to the network in 2018 from Nine. Brayshaw featured in a 2021 Sportsbet campaign called the “Elite Average Games”.
Billy Brownless
Geelong Hall of Famer Brownless played 198 games for the Cats from 1986 to 1997. He co-hosts Triple M’s Melbourne drive program alongside James Brayshaw. He co-hosts a regular markets segment for broadcast rights holder Foxtel alongside Seven AFL presenter Dale Thomas, sponsored by betting agency PointsBet.
Dale Thomas
A premiership winner and All-Australian, Thomas played 258 games for Collingwood between 2006 and 2019. Thomas is a PointsBet ambassador and with Billy Brownless co-hosts a regular markets segment sponsored by the company for rights holder Foxtel.
Tony Jones
Jones has been in media and working for Nine for more than 38 years, presenting sports bulletins on the network’s Melbourne news. He also hosts the network’s flagship sports program Wide World of Sports, as well as The Sunday Footy Show. He too was featured in the 2022 Sportsbet ad alongside McClure, Cornes and Barrett, despite remarking on television in 2019 that gambling was “ruining lives”.
Garry Lyon
A five-time All-Australian, Lyon captained Melbourne during a glittering 226-game career that saw him named in the club’s Team of the Century and Hall of Fame. Lyon is a presenter for right holder Fox Footy, as well as a breakfast radio host on SEN. He attaches his name to tips for Sportsbet and has 2,704 followers on the agency’s tipping platform at time of writing.
Madi Browne
Madi Browne played 61 games for Australian netball team the Diamonds and now presents on Fox Netball and SEN. Browne attaches her name to tips for Sportsbet.
Paul Hasleby
Paul Hasleby played 208 games for Fremantle in the AFL and was All-Australian in 2003. He presents SEN’s drive program in Western Australia. He attaches his name to tips for Sportsbet and has 1,023 followers on the agency’s tipping platform at time of writing.
Josh Garlepp
Former sports journalist and former professional basketball player Josh Garlepp worked at Fox Sports, the ABC and The West Australian before starting comedy podcast Kick It Forward while a boundary rider for Triple M. The podcast, now produced by Clubby Sports, a production company founded by former GWS and Carlton player Dylan Buckley, is prominently sponsored by betting agency Neds. Clubby Sports recently hired Sportsbet’s former head of partnerships, Adam Pattison, to join their partnerships team.
Luke Hodge
Hodge is a four-time premiership player and captained Hawthorn during its historic three-peat in 2013-15. A two-time Norm Smith Medallist and three-time All-Australian, he played 346 games in the AFL from 2002 to 2019. He has been a commentator for rights holder Seven since his playing days and currently presents regularly on the network. He is a Tabcorp ambassador.
Georgie Parker
Georgie Parker is a decorated Hockeyroo with more than 100 games under her belt, and played two seasons in the AFLW with Collingwood in 2018 and 2019. She periodically writes on football for The West Australian and co-hosts Nine’s AFLW Weekly podcast. She has previously presented Sportsbet’s In The Back Pocket alongside Nathan Brown. She is now a Tabcorp ambassador.
Shane Crawford
Shane Crawford played 305 games for Hawthorn from 1992 to 2008, captaining the club and winning the Brownlow Medal in 1999. He was previously a Tabcorp ambassador, and is now spruiking bookmaker Noisy Bet. Noisy is owned by Australian-based Amused Group, which also owns Bet Nation.
Mick Molloy
Comedian Mick Molloy hosts football talk show The Front Bar on Seven alongside comedian Sam Pang (who played six games for Collingwood’s under 19s in 1991) and football journalist Andy Maher. Sportsbet’s tipping platform features a profile called “Mick’s Multi” that carries The Front Bar’s branding. At the time of writing, it has 10,400 followers and its last 10 bets have been unsuccessful, with more than 8,000 punters losing their money betting on a variety of sports including racing, soccer, football, swimming and Olympic taekwondo.
Should sporting figures and journalists be taking money from gambling companies? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Georgie Parker currently presents the programs The Sunday Session and Armchair Experts on Seven. The article has been updated to reflect Parker’s current media commitments.
