AFL to take the NRL's lead and take a game to the US?

[3207]

No, they will be the ones betting on it. They are a huge market, even a fraction of their gambling pie could be lucrative.

Granted. But a fraction isn’t going to cut it - especially if it’s 10c on the dollar

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Forget China.
India a possibility, but what time of year what you play games there?
To hot to play games there in the Indian summer, and in Winter Cricket is king.

With China, its one of the more likely. And we all saw how unlikely it is.
Still far, far more likely than USA to find a niche if work is done over decades. But still highly unlikely.

Venues anywhere are a problem. And cricket ovals outside Australia are generally (not all, but most) a lot smaller than here.
We have large playing surfaces by world cricket standards because of Australian Football, venues used for exhibition or pre-season games in the past (e.g. Wanderers, The Oval) are likely unsuitable for the pace of the game at AFL level these days. The largest outside Australia struggle to be SCG, while the laws of the game allow for smaller SCG is about the minimum for modern AFL level to not become 100% congestion.

In India, it would need to be games in cooler areas. And night games are out, as that means post-midnight on the Australian east coast. They might even have to be morning games to beat the heat and get a reasonable timeslot for Australian TV. Even then, most major cities are probably out during the footy season.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Granted. But a fraction isn’t going to cut it - especially if it’s 10c on the dollar

A few things;

NRL (and AFL for that matter) gambling revenue would be around its peak now. Without growing the game in non heartland areas there won’t be much more to get.

Both state and federal governments have been making noises for years about cracking down on the local gambling industry, so the amount they have now could shrink soon(ish)

With a gambling market over there, they Will potentially open other foreign gambling markets, and increase subscription services and with that advertising.

They don’t need America to love it, and they won’t have much of a presence, they just need them to know it exists, and that they can punt on it.

 

[3207]

A few things;

NRL (and AFL for that matter) gambling revenue would be around its peak now. Without growing the game in non heartland areas there won’t be much more to get.

Both state and federal governments have been making noises for years about cracking down on the local gambling industry, so the amount they have now could shrink soon(ish)

With a gambling market over there, they Will potentially open other foreign gambling markets, and increase subscription services and with that advertising.

They don’t need America to love it, and they won’t have much of a presence, they just need them to know it exists, and that they can punt on it.

If they legislate here; I’d expect them to block them from profiting elsewhere

 

[Jim Prideaux]

If they legislate here; I’d expect them to block them from profiting elsewhere

I’m not sure they’d care, or necessarily can.

 

[3207]

I’m not sure they’d care, or necessarily can.

They’d definitely try. Wouldn’t they?

 

[Jim Prideaux]

They’d definitely try. Wouldn’t they?

I doubt it, they don’t care about gambling per se, they care about Australian voters losing money hand over fist and how bad that looks.

 

[Bianconeri]

China and India are better best, they don't have a large entrenched set of sports. Yes, they do have large entrenched sports but its a couple not like the crowded American market. And along with large, rapidly growing in India's case less so China's these days, emerging or new middle classes and leisure time that has not previously been there. The working classes and rural (for lack of a better word, peasants) don't have time or money; a more urbanised middle class will have - eventually, if not in the early periods of urbanising - something more like a weekend and regular hours.
The case could be made that there is space for a more physical ball sport than Cricket, Field Hockey or Association Football filling a gap in those nations. I wouldn't necessarily agree, but can see an argument that such a gap exists.

US patterns are long established and could be a nation in decline.
Patterns in India and China are in flux over the next couple of decades as the wealth per capita builds. Even there, I don't see a sport from a minor-to-no power such as Australia (I'm including RL in that, even though it has British origin its stronger here) getting much of a look-in. American Football has had the power of Hollywood and not made major strides anywhere, Australian Football and RL have the power of well, nothing, as free marketing.

And I freely admit this is thought bubbling, without solid numbers or a good knowledge of the cultures, so hardly persuasive.

The AFL should organise a game between India and Pakistan. That will generated more interest then sending some random teams they don’t care about.

 

[3207]

I doubt it, they don’t care about gambling per se, they care about Australian voters losing money hand over fist and how bad that looks.

Well they care more about those taxes that the gambling dollar brings in to keep our bloated bureaucracy fat as opposed to the public losing money

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Well they care more about those taxes that the gambling dollar brings in to keep our bloated bureaucracy fat as opposed to the public losing money

Oh they won’t ban it in the near future, but they may restrict the amount of ads as an example.

 

[3207]

Oh they won’t ban it in the near future, but they may restrict the amount of ads as an example.

The drums beating very loudly there.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

I doubt it, they don’t care about gambling per se, they care about Australian voters losing money hand over fist and how bad that looks.

They care more about donations from the AHA and media companies that largely stay afloat on gambling (and/or its ads) and in the case of media companies, inflated real estate markets. Oh, and on the parties re-investing those donations back into media ad spend.

 

[Boppo]

Footy in the 80s would spectate well in the US, the modern game where everyone is in one third of the ground following the play like under 10s will not be aesthetically pleasing.

 

[Jim Prideaux]

They care more about donations from the AHA and media companies that largely stay afloat on gambling (and/or its ads) and in the case of media companies, inflated real estate markets. Oh, and on the parties re-investing those donations back into media ad spend.

There’s certainly a fair bit of that. The advertising is a nice bit of low hanging fruit, but hey, better than nothing

 

[Hoops]

It's sad that the NRL are playing H&A games in the US chasing the gambling dollar and it would be even sadder if the AFL were to follow.

 

[3207]

It's sad that the NRL are playing H&A games in the US chasing the gambling dollar and it would be even sadder if the AFL were to follow.

Says some people. Not others.

 

[dave10]

Huh? Are you referring to Sofi Stadium?

No.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

To be clear, the NRL very likely aren't getting a cut of any gambling money from the US.

They have no jurisdiction to charge product fees to US betting companies, like they do Australian betting companies.

They're hoping gambling takes off so they can then flog broadcast subscriptions, so the potential payoff is actually one further step away.

Vlandys could attempt some sort of deal where he demands product fees from global operators, using their Australian operations as leverage. I'm not sure that's realistic - betting companies obviously despise product fees and aren't going to set that kind of global precedent for the sake of some small Australian sport.

 

[Scorpus]

$200,000,000 investment over 5 years the NRL are leaning in to here.

You’ve got to have a very large slice of the (as of now, probably non-existent) gambling dollar to come from their bookmakers if they’re to recoup anything near that.

10% of a billion is still only $10,000,000. That’s quite some shortfall.

And if it is only about the gambling dollar then they absolutely must keep playing games there so the game gets as many eyeballs on it as it possibly can.

Interesting theory the gambling one.

10% of a billion dollars is actually $100 million

 

[Lockyer24]

Think it’s worth putting on a game there every few years. The issue is finding a stadium which would do it justice.

 

[3207]

10% of a billion dollars is actually $100 million

Oops

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Bluey has done more for Americans loving Australia than Crocodile Dundee had previously.

If they ever did a Rugby League episode the Seppo’s would be overnight League fans.

Remember the reaction to the Bluey Cricket episode?

I don't have kids so I can't speak much on this subject. All I'm saying is that something catches the pop culture zeitgeist for a little bit but it rarely creates a lasting fascination with another culture unless they're pumping out content for decades, like Japan with anime. I can't think of a single foreign sport that has become big in the US in the past century.

 

[3207]

I don't have kids so I can't speak much on this subject. All I'm saying is that something catches the pop culture zeitgeist for a little bit but it rarely creates a lasting fascination with another culture unless they're pumping out content for decades, like Japan with anime. I can't think of a single foreign sport that has become big in the US in the past century.

Except for football, of course?

 

[Jim Prideaux]

To be clear, the NRL very likely aren't getting a cut of any gambling money from the US.

They have no jurisdiction to charge product fees to US betting companies, like they do Australian betting companies.

They're hoping gambling takes off so they can then flog broadcast subscriptions, so the potential payoff is actually one further step away.

Vlandys could attempt some sort of deal where he demands product fees from global operators, using their Australian operations as leverage. I'm not sure that's realistic - betting companies obviously despise product fees and aren't going to set that kind of global precedent for the sake of some small Australian sport.

You would imagine Vlandys, with his background, and Murdoch, would have something organised. They may not get the same rate, but I’d be very surprised if they’re not getting anything.

Edit: it would appear ‘watch and wager’ on betting apps is what most people think they’re chasing.

 

[Aussie in exile]

It's sad that the NRL are playing H&A games in the US chasing the gambling dollar and it would be even sadder if the AFL were to follow.

If the AFL think there is big money to made there they will do.