AFL integrity unit to investigate Gold Coast Suns’ team manager over alleged links to gambling firm

Gold Coast Suns have made an assurance they are acting within AFL rules, despite a key figure inside the club’s dressing room allegedly working with a bookmaking firm which has been subject to disciplinary action by the Victorian regulator for inducing gambling at local footy clubs.

Mark Opie, a longtime Richmond team manager and Tigers life member, moved to Gold Coast in 2024, and is now subject to an investigation by the AFL integrity unit.

According to multiple reports, he was part of a partnership known as Okebet, which was fined $100,000 in 2024 by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC), after it was found to have struck deals with local football clubs to encourage their players to open accounts in 2023.

Okebet appealed the matter with VCAT, but the decision was upheld earlier this year, prompting VGCCC chief executive Suzy Neilan to declare that the decision showed the importance of protecting vulnerable individuals and community institutions from harmful gambling practices.

“Local footy … clubs are often the heart of their communities, places where people come together to support one another. They should not be used as vehicles to promote gambling, particularly where those promotions include inducements that are prohibited by law,” she said.

Formally, the VCAT matter is still being determined, and the requirement to pay the penalty has been paused.

Media outlet Crikey reported of Opie’s employment with the Suns and links with Okebet on Friday.

The Suns declined to confirm whether Opie was a member of staff when contacted by the Guardian, however the club provided a statement in response to a broader question on whether the club has any reservations about the involvement with betting companies of its staff.

“All of our people adhere by the rules and regulations of employment with the football club and abide by the training, education and requirements of working within the AFL industry,” a spokesperson said.

The AFL, Opie and Okebet have been contacted for comment.

Opie has been pictured alongside Hardwick this season, just as he was during Richmond’s era of dominance when they won three grand finals between 2017 and 2020.

According to documents with the VGCCC, an individual known as Mark Bradley Opie, with three others, received approval to operate Okebet in 2021. The other individuals are no longer part of the partnership, but he remains a registered bookmaker in Victoria.

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