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THE AFL has reached an information-sharing agreement with the Australian Internet Bookmakers Association to be able to access any details of any AFL player or official gambling on AFL games.
The agreement will see five online bookmaking agences agree to conduct regular audits of their customer's accounts.
Those agencies are Centrebet International Limited, trading as Centrebet; International All Sports Limited, trading as IASbet and Canbet (Australia); Sportsbet Pty Ltd, trading as Sportsbet; Sports Acumen Pty Ltd, trading as Sports Acumen and Global Sportsbet.
The memorandum of understanding between the AFL and the Australian Internet Bookmakers Association was signed this week.
It comes almost three months after four players received varying sanctions for betting on AFL matches.
AFL general manager of football operations Adrian Anderson said the agreement would help to protect and maintain the integrity of the competitions run by the AFL.
He said association members had agreed to run regular audits and to provide the names of any AFL players or officials who had breached AFL rules by gambling on AFL games or events to the AFL.
The head of the Australian Internet Bookmakers Association, Tony Clark, said “the integrity of sport events was critical to members of the association and we have been pleased with AFL's co-operative approach to developing this agreement”.
"In the association's view, the information sharing initiative we have agreed to with the AFL provides integrity protocols that will be very effective,” Clark said.
“The AFL should be commended for their commitment to integrity protocols as they will set the standard for integrity in Australian sport," Mr Clark said.
He said the members of the association have agreed to amend their terms and conditions or rules of betting to require all clients who bet on AFL matches - or any aspect of an AFL match - in the future to consent to the release of their personal information to the AFL, in the circumstances and on the terms described in this memorandum of understanding.
Members will ensure that clients who refuse to consent will not be permitted to bet on AFL matches or any aspect of an AFL match.
The agencies have also agreed to report any suspicious behaviour or betting trends to the AFL and to consult with the AFL on any new bet types offered by the agencies.
The arrangements are now in place following the signing of the agreement and will apply to all bets placed in the future.
The agreement with the AIBA is for information sharing only and does not grant the same sponsorship rights as the current AFL agreements with Tabcorp and Betfair.
The AFL’s arrangements with Tabcorp and Betfair already provide for the provision of betting information to the AFL.
Mr Anderson said the AFL would continue to work with regulators and betting agencies in other states to gain access to their betting information.
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