Victorian regulator weighs unprecedented intervention in AFL’s fight with bookmakers over gambling revenue
The Victorian gambling regulator is considering whether to make an unprecedented intervention in a dispute between the AFL and bookmakers, which could set a limit on the league’s revenue from wagering.Earlier this year, the AFL proposed a significant increase to the amount of money it receives from each bet placed on its game.The league also proposed a minimum $20,000 annual fee for all bookmakers, including small operators who focus on racing.Leaked documents seen by Guardian Australia revealed the cash grab was justified as a way to address what AFL executives termed an “unprecedented” increase in “integrity risks” posed by the wagering industry, which has exploded in popularity in recent years.The documents outlined concerns the AFL’s integrity system was seriously deficient and struggled to identify whether players, coaches and staff were using inside information to manipulate betting markets, in breach of their contracts.
Bookmakers opposed to the increase were told they needed accept it before the season began, or be banned from taking bets on the sport.By law, all bookmakers must have an agreement with a sport’s governing body.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news emailWhen the increase was first proposed, several gambling companies described it as “unsustainable” and said it could cripple smaller operators willing to pay their “fair share” to support integrity measures.Some bookmakers have told Guardian Australia they increased financial inducements – such as bonus bets or bet-matching – to encourage people to spend more money, despite knowing this could increase harm.In June 2023, a parliamentary inquiry into online gambling called for financial inducementsto be banned.
The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has confirmed it is assessing an application to intervene in the dispute and make a determination about the AFL’s conduct and the reasonableness of its fees.The application was made by an unnamed bookmaker.Before making a decision to intervene, the regulator must assess whether both parties have engaged in genuine negotiations.It must also assess whether a resolution is possible without the regulator’s involvement.It has been assessing the application for more than two months.
The regulator has the power to ask for information from the AFL, recover costs for any investigation, and make compulsory determinations to settle the dispute.Sign up to Breaking News AustraliaGet the most important news as it breaksafter newsletter promotion“Previous applications received by the VGCCC did not meet the criteria for a determination as outlined in legislation,” a spokesperson for the regulator said.Two sources at established bookmakers who were not authorised to comment publicly said a determination could set a limit on how much money the AFL could make from gambling.They said a determination could also impact future negotiations.Lachlan Gepp, an expert gambling and sports rights lawyer at Addisons, which has represented bookmakers, said product fees had become “uncommercial and unreasonable” in recent years.
The fees were introduced in the early 2000s,“It should be remembered that the laws requiring betting integrity agreements were introduced in Victorian and New South Wales betting legislation to coincide with the blow-up of corporate online bookmaking and to provide funds to the AFL to administer an integrity concern that otherwise did not exist,” Gepp said,“Make no mistake: in 2025, product fees have been morphed into a tax strategy designed to play catchup to the NRL and positioned by AFL spin doctors to solve an invisible growth in betting integrity issues,”The AFL has argued the integrity challenges are real and serious,Its correspondence outlining the increase to bookmakers did not mention commercial objectives.
“If the VGCCC determines that the product fee rate sought by the AFL is unreasonable or an overreach in terms of what the law is designed to do, then that outcome has been a long time coming for the online wagering industry,” Gepp said,The AFL declined to comment,One relatively small bookmaker, who declined to be named because of the commercial sensitivity of the issue, and so that they could speak freely, said they had increased inducements in response to the AFL’s proposal,“We will need to introduce additional incentives, not because we want to, but because the market demands it,Without them, we may not be able to keep the business running,” the bookmaker said.
In Australia, Gambling Help Online is available on 1800 858 858,The National Debt Helpline is at 1800 007 007
From crunchy chaat and yoghurt to spicy peanut butter: Ravinder Bhogal’s recipes for alternative potato salads
We are a family of potato lovers, so a summer salad made of tender spuds bound together with something creamy, something acidic and a handful of herbs is a perennial favourite. While I would never throw a classic out of bed, every now andd then I like to swerve the mayonnaise and do something a little more exuberant. Today’s potato salads are a riot of texture and flavour, and pack a serious punch. They are satisfying enough on their own, but serve them at your next barbecue and you are bound to please the potato pleasure-seekers in your life.You can find nylon sev in good Indian supermarkets or online, but if you can’t get hold of any, fistfuls of your favourite bombay mix will do just fine
Coffee, tea or … yaupon? Will Trump’s tariffs force Americans back to their home-grown brew?
North America’s only native caffeinated plant was big among beverages in the 18th century. Is Ilex vomitoria about to make a comeback?Name: Yaupon.Age: Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) is North America’s only native caffeinated plant. It was long used by Indigenous people pre-colonisation.Appearance: A variety of holly, evergreen, can grow to 10m tall, mostly found in the southern US …Wait, Ilex vomitoria, you say? Sounds sick! (Old meaning
Why homemade stir-fry sauces are always better than bought in ones | Kitchen aide
Most stir-fry sauces are sweet, dense and cloying. Any lighter, fresher alternatives?Louis, Falmouth If Julie Lin, author of Sama Sama: Comfort Food from my Malaysian-Scottish Kitchen, were to hazard a guess, it would be that Louis is buying shop-bought sauces: “They’re always sweet and dense,” she says. “There’s a phrase we use in Malaysia, agak agak, which means to season until you know that it’s good for you.” And that’s only ever going to come from making it yourself, which for Lin often means her “master wok” sauce. To make a bottle, she combines 75g white sugar, three teaspoons of MSG, and 75ml rice-wine vinegar, and whisks until the sugar dissolves
‘Don’t ever assume there’s anything to eat!’ 29 tips for perfect vegan holidays, from where to go to how to order
Nowhere should be out of bounds just because you have a plant-based diet. Seasoned travellers explain how to stay happy and hunger-free, whether you’re trekking in Thailand or on a mini-break in BerlinThis spring, I spent five weeks travelling around Mexico – my longest time away from home since becoming a vegan two and a half years ago. It was a learning experience: lots of incredible vegan food, gallons of fall-back guacamole and the odd cheese-related disaster. This is what I found out about being a vegan on holiday, and the advice I received from more seasoned vegan travellers.“I have been completely blown away by the difference in attitude and progressiveness of places,” says Alexis Gauthier, a Michelin-starred vegan chef
Georgina Hayden’s recipe for red curry chicken and courgette burgers
I present to you my new favourite summer burger, which has been on our menu at home ever since its arrival in my kitchen. It’s one of those recipes where the ease is almost embarrassing. How can something so delicious be so straightforward? The burgers themselves are a simple food processor job; if you don’t have one, use chicken mince and make sure you really mix in the curry paste and courgette by hand. The accompaniments are also key: the lime-pickled shallots, the abundance of herbs and the creaminess of the mayo all work so well together. Turn up to a barbecue with a tray of these and I guarantee you’ll be dishing out the recipe in no time
Five beef patties, four cheese slices, bacon, lettuce, tomato … Burger King’s sumo of a burger enters the ring
Japan can legitimately claim to be home to some of the best food on the planet. But it usually has little appetite for supersizing it.That changed on Friday with Burger King’s gargantuan but curiously named Baby Body Burger, tipping the scales at nearly 680g (1.5lb). As part of a collaboration with the Japan Sumo Association, whose July wrestling tournament has just started, the burger checks in at 1,876 calories
Angela Rayner ‘disappointed’ by Diane Abbott’s latest comments on racism
Labour spent 30% more than Tories in 2024 general election, figures show
Wes Streeting considers writing off part of doctors’ student debts to avert strike
Lowering the voting age: a boost for UK democracy or a shot in the dark?
Labour MP suspended for opposing disability cuts will keep speaking for ‘invisible in society’
MPs to tighten laws allowing foreign donations to influence UK elections