The AFL has told its official gambling partner, Sportsbet, to stop featuring high-profile athletes in AI-generated social media content without their permission, and to delete videos depicting AFL stars delivering lines from movies, television shows or speeches to react to real events.
The videos were age-restricted and designed to boost Sportsbet's engagement on social media in a bid to attract new audiences and customers. They were published despite the federal government legislating to ban athletes appearing in gambling ads, with the new rules to take effect next year.
One recent video showed former Brisbane Lions premiership player Lachie Neale, now at Collingwood, mimicking a 2018 acceptance speech by US rapper Snoop Dogg. "Last but not least, I want to thank me," the AI-generated Neale said. Another showed Brisbane Lions player Will Ashcroft, a dual Norm Smith medallist, screaming an expletive-laden line from the television show Ozark. Sportsbet suggested the video was Ashcroft's response to Fremantle playing Wharfie Time in the final quarter of the 2026 AFL grand final.
The gambling company also created AI content using the images of Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell and former North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson. The videos were removed from Sportsbet's Instagram page on Tuesday afternoon after Guardian Australia contacted the company.
The AFL Players' Association wrote to the league late last week, arguing the videos breached the collective bargaining agreement that restricts how player images can be used by the league's partners. The association's general manager of legal affairs, Alex Taverner, said AI-generated player imagery was not permitted without player approval. An AFL spokesperson said the league would continue to work closely with its partners on the use of AI content as the technology evolves.