While most of the sporting leagues and teams in Australia have been trying to, and publicly, steer clear of gambling partnerships, NRL is seemingly doing the opposite.
Out of the 17 teams in the NRL, 13 of these have a betting or casino partner/sponsor.
There are currently 150+ Online Betting Sites in Australia, and 8 of which are a sponsor for an NRL team, or even two teams. Around 23 of these are licensed in NSW, while around 30 are Victorian Bookmakers – but all of the names below have their head office in Sydney (apart from TAB NZ and PointsBet).
Wagering Sponsors of NRL Teams
Brisbane Broncos – Star Casino
Canberra Raiders – Palmerbet
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks – PointsBet
Dolphins – BlueBet
Gold Coast Titans – TopSport
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles – PointsBet
Melbourne Storm – Crown Casino
Newcastle Knights – Palmebet
North Queensland Cowboys – TAB
Paramatta Eels – TAB
Penrith Panthers – BlueBet
Sydney Roosters – Unibet
NZ Warriors – TAB NZ
Wests Tigers – PlayUp
Sportsbet is also a major partner of the NRL itself, and they are also a major sponsor of the AFL. However, very few AFL teams have any affiliation with any betting sites or casinos, with only the following exceptions.
Wagering Sponsors of AFL Teams
Brisbane Lions – TAB
Fremantle Dockers – TABtouch, Crown Casino
GWS – TAB
West Coast Eagles – Crown Casino
Strictly none of the Victorian teams (in the AFL) have anything gambling related as a sponsor, even though there are more bookies in Victorian than NSW.
NRL famously went to Las Vegas this year to expand the game (while the AFL did the same thing in NSW), and will continue doing so until 2028. However, some commenters have suggested that the NRLs main intention was not to grow the sport in the USA, but to tap into the expanding and increasingly legalising world of online betting in the states. Which of course, makes Las Vegas the perfect place to set up shop.
While it may be a bit of a stretch to suggest that most of the NRL teams are in cahoots with the NRL’s grand plan to bring in more gaming revenue from abroad – but if the NRL are presenting that opportunity, grey area or not, it’s understandable to see the NRL teams jumping on the gravy train.
