Gambling addiction in AFL
AFL betting fears

Australian Football League pros are involved in large-scale sports betting too much.

Australian Football League involved in high volume internet betting presents a real threat to the integrity of the popular sport.

Sports commentators and experts fear that the increasing number of Australian Football players involved in online and mobile sports betting is a worrying trend.

It is easy to do the maths and the psychology: just combine the amount of money these football professionals make in a week with the availability and accessibility of internet and mobile sportsbooks.

Then add the amount of stress these pro sports people handle during every match. Then take into consideration that something exciting must be done between matches. You have an explosive situation at the very least.

Basically, football players wager much more than their salaries could cover. And they have access to unlimited betting possibilities, such as websites and Australian mobile wagering applications. All these options are just too tempting for the football players.

A football player manager stated that online and mobile wagering presents a bigger threat to the players than drugs or alcohol.

Young players gamble on iPads and iPhones

A recently retired player told the media that especially younger footballers get caught up in gambling. He opined that $500 for a player who had just arrived in the system is a lot of money, and they can’t resist the temptation.

Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are easily accessible for anyone in Australia. Most pro football players used their iPads for gambling. With just one swipe with a finger, they place thousand-dollar bets, often multiple times during just one hour.

Currently there are no laws in Australia stopping players from betting on football matches. According to industry experts, the real problems will arise when players will try to influence the outcome of matches they have previously bet on. There are currently no incidents involving match-fixing reported from Australia, but given the trends, it would be no surprise if sooner or later scandals would shake the AFL.