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Western Bulldogs captain Easton Wood has said he would support AFL players taking a pay cut if it meant the sport could reduce its reliance on gambling advertisements.
Key points:
- Wood said he would "happily take less" if it meant better decisions for the future of the AFL
- He said he would like to see changes to advertisers who can partner with AFL broadcasters
- He has told Fox Footy's On The Mark program he was not sure whether all players agreed with the idea
The issue of gambling advertisements and the AFL was reignited last week when Collingwood player Jaidyn Stephenson was suspended for 10 matches for gambling on AFL matches.
Magpies coach Nathan Buckley criticised the code over its attitude to gambling, pointing out an "irony" in the penalty handed to Stephenson when the AFL has a commercial partnership with gambling.
Wood — who sits on the board of the AFL Players' Association — said he would push for changes in the next broadcast deal struck by the AFL, including conditions on which companies can partner with winning bidders.
"I'd happily take less philosophically if that's what it's going to take to do the right thing and do what's best for the code and kids coming through," Wood told Fox Footy's On The Mark program last night.
"But whether or not the AFL playing cohort that we represent on the board with the PA (Players' Association), whether that's their opinion, I'm not sure that it is.
"So that would be a difficult one and it's a conversation to have. It's definitely something I'll be raising though."
The AFL has a commercial agreement with the bookmaker, Bet Easy, which is reported to be worth $10 million.
The league's website features gambling ads and contains a weekly video segment discussing odds on games.
Club president backs stance
It is not the first time Wood has expressed concern about the impact of gambling on the AFL.
In 2017, he tweeted that gambling advertising was "out of control" and questioned why the industry supported an "onslaught" of gambling advertising during broadcast matches.
Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon backed Wood's position and said his latest comments marked a "really important step" in the issue.
"Players' payments [are] a very big part of the economics of the AFL and one of the justifications for the involvement of betting money in the industry is to keep up with player payment standards," he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
"So for a player to challenge that and say 'you know what, we'd take less if you can remove it' is a really important step because it's a big chunk of money."
AFL profits and player salaries:
Gordon said the AFL could gradually phase out revenue from gambling companies in a similar manner to the removal of tobacco advertising from the then-VFL about 30 years ago.
He said many fans and club presidents were "quite concerned" about the issue and would support a move to abandon income from gambling advertising.
"Particularly when you hear about six-year-olds and seven-year-olds being able to quote the betting odds because they've just watched the footy with their mums and dads," he said.
In recent years, several former AFL players, including David Schwarz and Brent Guerra, have spoken out about their gambling addictions.
More recently, Brisbane Lions player Allen Christensen opened up about the problem gambling issues that plagued his early career.
Christensen's club is sponsored by online bookmaker Neds.
The AFL has been contacted for comment.
Topics: sport, australian-football-league, gambling, community-and-society, advertising, melbourne-3000, vic
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