The Australian Rules Football League (ARFL) has strengthened its ethical guidelines, implementing a fresh wagering prohibition for journalists reporting on the sport within Australia.
Authorized reporters and commentators will be barred from placing wagers on games they are attending in their professional capacity.
These amended regulations will become effective this coming Thursday, coinciding with the inaugural match of the NAB Challenge series.
A five-hour “restricted period” will be imposed on media personnel, commencing two hours prior to a game and concluding three hours following the final whistle.
“For clarity, if you are covering a game on location, you can still place a wager on that game outside the five-hour timeframe, such as during the week, or before entering the stadium on game day,” an ARFL representative explained.
These novel limitations were introduced due to apprehensions that certain media individuals, once within the venue, possessed access to privileged information from teams prior to the 90-minute cutoff for clubs to submit their finalized team rosters to the ARFL.
It’s noteworthy that ARFL personnel are already precluded from participating in any manner of wagering on matches.
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