Tom Papley of the Sydney Swans is in trouble with the gaming authority for his popular punting program – and his squad has cause to be upset with him as well.
Tom Papley’s podcast ‘The Early Crow’ has been a ratings success.
The content piqued the interest of the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling.
The Sydney Swans have stated that they have spoken with cult great forward
Sydney Swans winger Tom Papley may have to change his material after the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling took issue with the AFL star’s popular punting program.
Papley, 27, has previously revealed that he is ‘obsessed’ with betting and co-hosts the podcast ‘The Early Crow’ with professional gambler Jack Dickens.
The two talk about a variety of issues, including AFL and horse racing, and disclose personal friendships with jockeys, market movers, and favored track sites.
Their podcast debuted last week, and while it was an instant ratings success, Papley is now expected to significantly alter what listeners hear.
‘While there is no link between the Swans and [Papley] podcast, we have expressed concerns directly with the Swans, who are considering the situation very seriously,’ an Office of Responsible Gambling spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
Papley was eager to point out on his show that he never wagers on AFL games since doing so would be a blatant violation of his playing contract.
Jaidyn Stephenson, a former Collingwood player, was suspended for ten games and fined $20,000 in 2019 for betting on three games involving the Magpies.
While Papley is unlikely to be sanctioned, a recent podcast episode featuring Swans colleague Nick Blakey raised a few eyebrows.
Papley’s comment regarding horse racing in particular would have taken club authorities by surprise: ‘When the gates open, if your a**e doesn’t tremble just a little bit, you haven’t had enough on.’
Papley is also a regular on the SEN radio show The Track.
The Swans are famous for their ‘No Dickhead’ player policy.
Sydney Swans chairman Andrew Pridham emphasized the importance of Papley learning from his mistakes.
‘We spoke with Tom,’ he told News Corp. ‘We certainly have a number of corporate partners, and one of them is GambleAware.
‘We value the respect we have for our corporate partners.
‘Anyone linked with the club and what they’re doing in regard to our brand – we can’t regulate what individuals do outside of our brand, everyone is a free citizen…. but it’s crucial that everyone exhibits alignment with what we advocate,’ says the club’s president.
