THE AFL has announced it had concluded an investigation into betting on AFL matches or events, in contravention of AFL regulations. AFL general manager football operations Adrian Anderson said the AFL had conducted an extensive investigation after its routine monitoring of betting markets had shown some unusual activity around a match earlier this season.
The AFL entered into information sharing agreements nearly two years ago with all major bookmakers in Australia, as part of a range of measures to protect the integrity of the sport, and enabling AFL integrity manager Brett Clothier to complete the investigation.
Anderson said the AFL's rules around gambling on the AFL were completely clear and were central to the integrity of the competition.
"All AFL players, coaches, umpires and officials can be in no doubt that betting on the AFL is prohibited and they can not disclose inside information when it could be used for betting purposes. Serious sanctions will continue to apply," Anderson said.
Anderson said the following actions had been taken;
Heath Shaw - Collingwood player
In relation to three offences, Collingwood player Heath Shaw has been suspended for 14 matches, with six matches of this sanction suspended. Shaw was also fined $20,000. He will not be able to play at any level until the conclusion of round 24 of the 2011 Toyota AFL Premiership Season.
On 21 May 2011, player Shaw shared $10 in a $20 cash bet with a friend on Nick Maxwell to kick the first goal of the round nine match between Collingwood and the Adelaide Crows, played at Etihad Stadium on Sunday May 22. The bet was placed at odds of $101.
On the same day, Shaw passed on inside information to two people that team mate Nick Maxwell would start the match up forward, instead of his usual role in defence. This information led to the placing of three cash bets totalling $25 on Nick Maxwell to kick the first goal, also at odds of $101.
Maxwell was backed in from $101 to $26 to kick the first goal of the game (He did not kick the first goal of the match).
Anderson said the AFL had completed its interviews with Heath Shaw this week.
While the penalty reflects the serious nature of the offending and the need to safeguard the integrity of the competition, in determining penalty, Anderson said the AFL had also taken into account the following mitigating factors: �Shaw's honesty in admitting these offences at an early opportunity and foregoing his right to a Tribunal hearing �Shaw�s contrition �The small size of the bets in question �The fact that Shaw's offence did not include any attempt to influence the outcome of the contest
The AFL would like to record Collingwood's strong co-operation and support of the investigation.
"The club fully co-operated and supported the investigation and took the matter as seriously as we did, which is very much to their credit," Anderson said.
Nick Maxwell - Collingwood player
Collingwood player Nick Maxwell has been sanctioned $5000, with a further $5000 suspended for recklessly disclosing inside information, being information that he would start the match as a forward in the round nine match between Collingwood and the Adelaide Crows.
Player Maxwell had discussed this with his family in the lead-up to the match
Maxwell's actions were reckless in that while he regularly discussed inside information relating to tactics with his family, he admitted never discussing with them the need to keep this information confidential, or the fact that this information should not be used for betting purposes.
The disclosure of the information by Maxwell led to three account bets totalling $85 being placed by his family members on Maxwell to kick the first goal of the match.
While the penalty reflects the serious nature of the offending and the need to safeguard the integrity of the competition, in determining penalty, Mr Anderson said the AFL had also taken into account the following mitigating factors: �Maxwells' honesty in admitting these offences at an early opportunity and foregoing his right to a Tribunal hearing �Maxwell's contrition �The fact that Maxwell was not aware and never intended for the information to be used for betting purposes
In determining penalty, Anderson said the AFL had taken into account player Maxwell's full co-operation.
As per the case with player Shaw, the AFL would like to record Collingwood's strong co-operation and contribution to the investigation, Anderson said.
Anderson said these offences would never have been detected without the comprehensive measures that were put in place over recent years to protect the integrity of the competition.
While it is disappointing that these offences have occurred, it is fundamentally important that matters such as this are detected and addressed to prevent more serious integrity issues arising.
"I wish to thank AFL integrity manager Brett Clothier and AFL intelligence co-ordinator Abraham Haddad for their thorough and professional investigation into this matter."
