AFL Investigates Gold Coast Staffer Over Gambling Ties

The Australian Football League (AFL) has opened an integrity investigation into a Gold Coast Suns staffer following media reports linking him to a gambling operator. The bookmaker involved, Okebet, 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. 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 suspected conflicts 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.