NRL clubs handed betting sponsorship lifeline in face of looming ban

NRL teams will be allowed to retain gambling sponsors until their deals expire, meaning their logos will continue to be displayed on jerseys until at least the end of the 2028 season.

Clubs face a financial hit from Labor’s long-awaited gambling advertising restrictions, which will kick in next January and include a ban on betting company signage on playing strips and in stadiums.

Sydney Roosters, Penrith, Wests Tigers, Newcastle and the Dolphins all have sports betting brands displayed on the back of their jumpers – an advertising space that NRL teams sell for as much as $750,000 a season – while another eight teams have corporate partnerships with betting agencies.

The Gold Coast Titans also face a potential $1 million black hole if their major sponsor, the Lottery Office, is caught up in a separate crackdown on online keno and offshore lotteries in Australia.

The advertising reforms could impact the value of the NRL’s next broadcast rights deal and sporting bodies, media companies and the sports betting industry have been scrambling for details since they were announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a fortnight ago.

While the prohibition of jersey and venue gambling sponsorships will leave clubs needing to cover a significant commercial shortfall, this masthead has learnt they will be permitted to honour existing deals beyond the implementation of the crackdown on January 1.

The federal government’s grandfathering of the bans would allow teams with continuing agreements with betting operators to see them out.

They include premiership leaders Penrith’s four-year contract with Picklebet and the Knights’ five-year deal with Palmerbet, which both run until the end of the 2028 season, as well as the Roosters’ long-standing association with Unibet, which has multiple years remaining.

The Tigers have one more year left on their contract with online bookmaker PlayUp after this season.

The concession does not just apply to the NRL, but it is the only major Australian sports code in which teams still have gambling sponsorships on their playing attire.

The exemption, which has not been announced, shapes as good news for clubs but is unlikely to be received favourably by anti-gambling campaigners.

The Titans, meanwhile, are monitoring new legislative requirements flagged by Communications Minister Anika Wells that threaten to put their main sponsor out of business.

The government believes the changes will result in a likely ban on companies providing access to mega lotteries overseas, such as a United States Powerball jackpot in December that hit $1 billion.

They include the Lottery Office, which is the Titans’ principal commercial partner.

The Northern Territory-registered outfit is owned by Gold Coast businessman David Railton Kennedy, who sold a beachfront property to mining billionaire Clive Palmer for $28 million in 2024 and splashed out a Queensland record $24.5 million last year for an apartment at Burleigh Heads.

Chief executive Jaclyn Wood said it had led the sector in harm-minimisation and consumer protections and provided trusted access to the world’s biggest lottery jackpots, paying out on more than eight million wins to Australians since 2018.

“Our partnership with the Titans reflects our broader commitment to reinvesting in the communities where we operate, supporting health, wellbeing and grassroots organisations that make a meaningful difference at a local level,” she said.

The Titans won’t have the lotteries firm on the front of their jersey when they play the Warriors in Auckland on Saturday because of long-standing New Zealand regulations forbidding foreign betting advertisements.

Instead, Gold Coast and The Lottery Office this week announced the prime real estate would be occupied by Canteen, a charity supporting young people with cancer.

The NRL, like the AFL, has deep connections with gambling. They include a lucrative deal with Sportsbet worth an estimated $15 million a year, agreements with bookmakers that reap more than $50 million a year for the code in product fees and integration of sports betting material in television coverage.

The NSWRL also has an arrangement with Sportsbet in which the betting giant carries out video interviews with NSW State of Origin players ahead of the interstate series against Queensland to use as marketing content.

The NRL and clubs having rival wagering sponsors has led to commercial conflicts, contributing to the demise of try-scoring celebration promotion Try July.

Clubs have also reported players being put in difficult positions as a result of the sponsorship clashes, such as when Sportsbet-employed personalities turn up to the season launch to speak to team captains on camera.

NRL teams and those in its predecessor competitions historically received heavy financial support from their leagues clubs and their poker machine takings.

While the code’s primary source of revenue now comes from broadcast rights fees, more than a handful of teams are either still owned by leagues clubs or retain close links with them including funding.

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