Australian gambling companies could increase betting promotions after AFL change-up

In response to the Australian Football League’s (AFL) reported plans to seize more gambling money, companies could be gearing up to increase their use of ‘harmful inducements.’

This comes after a back-and-forth about the topic, with it being reported earlier this year that the AFL is offering to maintain services to major gambling companies in exchange for a share of match betting proceeds.

Then, on Sunday (March 2), Guardian Australia said they saw leaked documents that reveal executives have expressed alarm about an ‘unprecedented’ increase in ‘integrity risks’ by the wagering industry.

The concerns have not been spoken about publicly, but the AFL is proposing a solution to overhaul its integrity framework, which would make over 80 bookmakers provide gambling data into a new database.

This would result in an annual fee being charged, with the Guardian reporting  $20,0000 before being lowered for some to $3,000 in 2025, $5,000 in 2026 and $7,000 in 2027.

James Filgate, who runs a Victorian-based bookmaker, spoke to the publisher to give his side as he says he had refrained from sending inducements to customers for many years, but that will now change.

“The only way to increase my turnover would be to introduce and advertise an incentive program on the AFL product to increase my turnover by twentyfold, for viability.

“The reality is if we don’t offer the AFL product, our wagering business becomes less attractive to my clients who demand a selection of products. This will create less competition in the market, if businesses like mine don’t bet on the [AFL] or fold.”

The AFL is one of the biggest football tournaments in Australia and it was founded over 128 years ago.

According to the Guardian Australia, they’ve been told other small bookmakers are planning to use inducements to help replace the money sent to the AFL under a new deal.

This all comes at a time when the gambling industry has become widely debated within the country’s government. In August 2024, there was a big push to ban gambling ads within three years – with over 60 prominent figures signing the open letter.

While it became clear that an outright ban wouldn’t happen, the Prime Minister did hold top-level talks with sports and media leaders.

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