Bookies banned from advertising with NRL women's teams bet on comp

Betting companies banned from advertising on signage and the playing uniform of teams in the NRL's women's competition have been given the nod to wager on its matches, albeit with a reduced offering.

Just months after the NRL told Australia's biggest bookmaking giants they would be prohibited from displaying their logo on the jerseys of the four teams to provide a cleanskin image, wagering companies have started taking bets on the overall winner.

Clean cut: The inaugural NRL women's premiership won't have any bookmakers' logos on playing uniforms or signage.

Clean cut: The inaugural NRL women’s premiership won’t have any bookmakers’ logos on playing uniforms or signage.

It's part of a watered down betting offering for the four-week competition, which won't boast the range of options traditionally given for men's matches.

All four teams in the historic NRL women's competition – the Roosters, Dragons, Broncos and Warriors – were told after their successful licence applications that they couldn't sign bookmakers to above-the-line sponsorships.

Such deals include those companies displaying their logo at the ground and on jumpers of teams.

It was a move designed to project a clean image in the NRL's first foray into a trans-Tasman club based competition, which will be skewed heavily towards attracting a greater following of women and children.

The Roosters (Unibet), Dragons (betting.club) and Broncos (Ladbrokes) men's sides all feature betting-related companies on their playing kits, which will be displayed across three different men's NRL finals matches this weekend in front of huge TV audiences.

But their women's affiliates won't be able to carry the same sponsors.

Each of the four clubs who boast women's teams have added separate sponsors to their existing suite of corporate backers due to the introduction of the competition, which will run in conjunction to the NRL finals series.

The Roosters (Steggles) and Dragons (St George Bank) will carry their traditional front-of-jersey sponsors in the same prominent position as their men's counterparts.

But the Broncos (National Storage) and Warriors (Flight Centre) have separate backers to their men's teams in the prime advertising space.

As part of the NRL's family friendly push for its women's league, the logo of the code's official betting partner Sportsbet is not displayed on any specific women's premiership pages on NRL.com.

The NRL counts the Federal Government Department of Health, Holden, Harvey Norman and Rebel Sport as their primary sponsors of the women's game, which extends to the Jillaroos and State of Origin.

The historic NRL women's premiership will begin at ANZ Stadium on Saturday when the Roosters and Warriors meet before the Panthers-Warriors men's elimination final that evening.

The Dragons and Broncos will meet in the second match of the opening round at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

It's unclear how much interest the women's competition will generate with punters, but both opening round matches will be broadcast live on Channel Nine and Fox Sports.

The product fees the NRL collects from gambling on its matches represent one of the fastest growing non-broadcast revenue streams for head office, which earlier this year was mired in a bitter dispute over how much they should charge bookmakers for betting on the code.

The parties struck a short-term deal on the eve of the opening State of Origin clash this year, avoiding having to roll over a temporary accord for a fourth month. But they are likely to return to the negotiating table later this year to thrash out the issue.

The remaining schedule for the women's round-robin competition will be decided after this week, with the top two sides to face off in the grand final at ANZ Stadium on September 30.

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