An AFL umpire is one of four people that have been arrested by Victoria police in relation to suspicious betting activity linked to the awarding of this season’s Brownlow medal.
The medal is awarded to the ‘best and fairest’ player in the Australian Football League. The winner is decided by a vote with all three umpires from each official AFL league game voting for a player at the end of each game.
Detectives in the Victoria police were alerted to suspicious betting activity based on the leaking of umpire votes following specific matches during the 2022 season. However, there is no suggestion that the awarding of votes was influenced in any way.
Speaking of the investigation, AFL EGM Football and General Counsel Andrew Dillon said:
“In the days following the 2022 Brownlow Medal count, the AFL was made aware of potential suspicious activity by one of our betting agency partners and the AFL Integrity unit immediately gathered further information. Given the nature of the alleged activity we engaged Sports Integrity Australia and Victoria Police to assist with the matter.
I want to stress that neither Victoria Police, nor the AFL have information to suggest that the outcome of the Brownlow Medal was impacted as the allegations relate solely to the leaking or improper communication of the 3,2,1 voting outcomes of some specific matches during the season.
Post-game, the Brownlow votes are sealed and stored in a secure off-site location and not opened until they are delivered on stage on Brownlow night. The sealed vote cards are audited throughout the season by KPMG.”
A Victoria Police statement noted:
“It’s alleged that a person with knowledge of the voting tally of these matches distributed the information to a group of people known to them. Police are investigating how many matches may have had votes released, and exactly how much money was awarded from the bets.
At this stage, police have no information to suggest that the outcome of the votes were impacted as the allegations relate solely to the distribution of information.”
In September, Carlton captain Patrick Cripps was awarded the 2022 Brownlow Medal.
Image credit: Joshua Ryan / CCO 1.0
Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.