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Read Full BioAustralia cricket legend Glenn McGrath will not be featured in ABC’s upcoming coverage of the Ashes, as the network has removed the former player due to his links with the gambling company bet365.
The Ashes is a cricket series played between England and Australia. ABC has a policy that states employees cannot have any association with a betting company. McGrath falls foul of this as bet365 sponsors the McGrath Foundation’s Pink Test in Sydney.
In a statement, ABC commented, “ABC and Glenn McGrath have mutually parted ways for this Ashes. We look forward to seeing Glenn around the grounds throughout the series and would welcome working with him in the future.”
ABC managing director Hugh Marks became involved in the deliberations but decided it was unfair to others if an allowance were made, despite McGrath’s link being for charitable causes.
Gambling Ads Banned During Ashes
McGrath will be on commentary duties during the Ashes in the UK for BBC, which has no policy objecting to relationships with betting firms. Australia has stricter rules around promoting gambling, including a ban on daytime advertising of betting.
Promotions for gambling are banned from five minutes before the start of a live sports event until five minutes after it ends between 5 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.
The Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA) is investigating Disney+ over allegations that the streaming platform is using a loophole to show gambling ads during its broadcasting.
With the Ashes taking place during the banned period, no gambling ads will be allowed on coverage. As ABC is a government-owned network, it does not have advertising in any case.
Fellow Cricketer Criticizes ABC Policy
Fellow former Australian cricketer Mitchell Johnson was also removed from ABC’s commentary team over his ties to a gambling company. Johnson was employed by gambling agency Bet Nation, which led to his removal from his radio position at ABC in 2022.
The former player criticized the network over the decision, stating, “There seems to be a lot of hypocrisy that goes with this rule. I don’t understand, and you start to wonder about what you can and can’t say if you are calling for them.
“It’s blown me away a little bit … do we have to make sure we have to align with the ABC’s moral compass? There’s nothing I can do about it … that’s the rule, and I guess I’m not going to work with them.”
Former AFL star Brendon Goddard was also removed from ABC commentary in 2022 because his podcast was sponsored by Sportsbet.
Australia Considers Blanket Ban on Gambling Ads
There have been calls to increase the regulations around gambling advertising in Australia. Another cricketer Usman Khawaja participated in a roundtable earlier this year and advocated for a ban.
Khawaja said a ban is necessary to prevent further increases in underage gambling. He stated, “The relationship that young kids are having with gambling is scary and it’s dangerous. We are normalising gambling for the younger generation.
“I can’t watch an NRL game without getting odds right before a game. I play grade cricket with young cricketers who are coming through. There are 16-year-olds with gambling accounts, and they cannot watch the game without putting a bet on.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remains unconvinced that a complete ban is the best solution. In a conversation with ABC News, Albanese said: “What’s in our mind is the practicalities of whether people just go offshore, then there’s no revenue at all.
“They engage in gambling with no revenue coming back at all. And it doesn’t solve the problem.”
