Punting agency a sure-fire bet to be part of bid
Chris Barrett
February 5, 2011
SPORTS gambling firm Centrebet hopes to revolutionise the relationship between betting agencies and sport by becoming a part-owner of a new NRL club in Brisbane.
The consortium behind the Brisbane bid - led by Craig Davison, a prominent member of the Thoroughbreds group of Queensland businessmen who support the Broncos - want Centrebet to come on board not only as a sponsor but as a major partner in the club if they gain an NRL licence. The vision for a second Brisbane team, the plans for which were revealed by the Herald last week, is to become ''the Manchester United of rugby league''.
Neil Evans, a former television journalist who is Centrebet's public relations and media director, was approached before Christmas about the company joining the bid team and then met Davison and his colleagues Nicholas Livermore and Bill Rae at a gathering at a Southport hotel on the Magic Millions race day, January 15.
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A financial commitment has yet to be made but Evans is likely to be at the table in Sydney on Monday when Davison, Livermore and Rae meet NRL chief executive David Gallop to discuss expansion, and an official partnership could be in place as soon as next week.
Among several proposals put to the consortium by Evans as part of Centrebet's part-ownership is the installation of a private betting lounge at the new franchise's leagues club, tipped to be at Davies Park in Brisbane's West End if they get the green light as an expansion club.
''The plan is to be a major partner in a new rugby league club,'' Evans said. ''Potentially, it will be the biggest rugby league derby the planet has ever seen.
''We're still working through it but obviously I'm confident we'll reach an agreement. We want to revolutionise the relationship between a betting partner and a major rugby league club.''
The alliance between the three businessmen behind the Brisbane bid and Centrebet is the most significant development in a recent wave of links between gambling agencies and the NRL. Centrebet, a publicly listed company in which veteran bookmaker Con Kafataris is the main shareholder, has been the primary player, forming a landmark naming-rights stadium deal with Penrith and a jersey association with Manly.
Meanwhile, South Sydney last week signed a three-year corporate partnership with Star City, placing the casino's logo on the front of the Rabbitohs' jumper, and Melbourne have named Crown Casino as their new main sponsor.
The move by Centrebet towards club ownership is evidence of the boom in rugby league betting, Evans said. ''What we've said and done in rugby league in the last couple of years has been reflected in our turnover,'' he said. ''Rugby league betting is massive. The other attraction is Queensland - it is obviously massive in league and probably about to be the epicentre. It might be the catalyst for [moving] the grand final up there one day. We want this to be the Manchester United of rugby league.''
Davison, who with other Thoroughbreds John Geaney and Tony Scanlon collectively own 25 per cent of the Broncos, has already spoken to Queensland Reds and Wallabies star Quade Cooper about making a switch of codes. They would play at Suncorp Stadium on alternate weekends to the Broncos.
Evans has been told that a decision on the introduction of two new NRL clubs could be made by October, with teams entering the competition in 2013 or 2014. However, it will be up to a new eight-member independent commission, which will run the game, to open the official tendering process and decide when, or whether, the NRL needs a 17th and 18th team.
The other six aspirants to be added to the competition are the Central Coast, Central Queensland, Ipswich, Perth, Wellington and Papua New Guinea.
The NRL in 2009 relaxed its stance on clubs having sponsorship agreements with betting companies and has its own deal with TAB Sportsbet for which it receives a 5 per cent cut of profit. The governing body has integrity agreements in place with all gambling agencies involved in the game, a policy it credits with being able to kickstart an investigation into irregular punting activity in the match between North Queensland and Canterbury last August.
