AFL investigates Gold Coast staffer over ties to gambling company

• The AFL has opened an integrity investigation into a Gold Coast Suns staffer following media reports linking him to a gambling operator
• The bookmaker involved has previously faced regulatory action in Victoria over its dealings with local football clubs
• The case adds renewed scrutiny to gambling links within Australian football and club-level partnerships

The Australian Football League (AFL) has opened an investigation into a Gold Coast Suns staffer who may have a connection to a gambling business that has received a penalty from a regulator, The Guardian and other media outlets reported.

Integrity probe targets Gold Coast Suns’ Mark Opie

Gold Coast Suns’ Mark Opie has been named in media reporting by The Australian as the focus of the integrity probe, which explores how Opie’s alleged affiliation with Okebet, a bookmaker, and his accreditation within the AFL system could relate to potential conflicts of interest and compliance with integrity rules.

The issue brought up by the AFL is that suspectedconflicts of interest need to be disclosed upfront, which may not have been done in Opie’s case, the probe alleges.

Okebet previously came under fire from the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) in 2024 amid findings that the bookmaker had entered into partnerships with local football clubs in ways that breached state gambling rules regarding the promotion of gambling-related services.

The VGCCC issued a fine against the bookmaker in 2024, arguing that the operator had not complied with regulatory requirements in its dealings with those clubs and had continued those arrangements.

The regulator argued that Okebet’s conduct involved inappropriate club partnerships used to promote gambling accounts, which the VGCCC said was not permitted under applicableregulations. VGCCC chief executive Suzy Neilan said that local clubs cannot be used to promote gambling in this way.

Upon appeal to VCAT, the original VGCCC verdict was upheld, and the AU$100,000 fine was imposed.

"Local footy … clubs are often the heart of their communities, places where people come together to support one another. They should not be used as vehicles to promote gambling, particularly where those promotions include inducements that are prohibited by law," Neilan concluded at the time of the VGCCC-issued penalty.

Opie is a longtime Richmond team manager as well as a Tigers life member.

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