Off the Wall

Later today the West Tigers will enter into a partnership with the betting agency, Betfair.

This should come as no surprise. It was only a matter of time before the biggest player in the online betting business (based on worldwide activity) targeted rugby league.

Betfair is a serious player. And when it gets serious about signing up with a sport it does so very seriously.

Betfair in Australia is part-owned by James Bullmore Packer. At a time when his fortune seems to be ever diminishing, Betfair is a shining beacon.

It overcame massive resistance, driven by the TAB operators, to its entry into horse racing. It is now a major sponsor of racing - the Sandown racecourse in Melbourne is now named Betfair Sandown.

It began its foray into the AFL last year signing up partnerships with the Hawks and the Tigers. And while betting on the AFL overshadows betting on the NRL, it has more customers in NSW than any other state so that will surely change.

Apparently the deal with the West Tigers will differ significantly from what other betting agencies have with the Knights, the Titans and now the Sharks.

This is going to be more of a sponsorship arrangement - but it will include Betfair booths so fans at home games can bet. There will also be signage and other promotional activities at the Tigers three grounds.

At present the NRL does not allow betting agencies to be sleeve/jersey sponsors etc. The AFL has eased its rules to allow such sponsorship.

If the NRL is to avoid the charge of being hypocritical, it must surely ease its rules as well.

The debate about whether or not we should be encouraging betting on football may well continue - but it is increasingly a meaningless one. The NRL has product agreements with the betting agency owned by the TAB, and betting on sports generally is one of the boom industries.

It is far too late to shut the gate - the horses have long bolted!

What is now needed is for the NRL is to do everything possible to ensure that betting on NRL matches is not corrupted. The NRL already has an information exchange agreement with the agency it is aligned with. That needs to extend across the board - and be done in co-operation with the AFL and other sporting bodies.

Cheating can never be entirely eliminated from any sport - especially when money and betting is involved. But it can be minimised.

As the growth of betting on NRL matches grows, even explodes, and as the betting