NRL’s number one referee had $400k gambling problem

The NRL’s top referee Ashley Klein was allowed to officiate in the code’s biggest games despite having had a gambling problem that cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars.

An investigation by the Herald can reveal the NRL knew of Klein’s gambling issues for four years but let him continue to referee matches at the top level.

The experienced whistle blower is the highest profile match official in rugby league and is due to referee next week’s second State of Origin match in Melbourne, his 14th interstate clash in a row.

But away from the bright lights of packed stadiums, it can be revealed Klein had a gambling habit that became the subject of an NRL investigation.

According to sources with knowledge of the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity, he lost more than $400,000 punting on horse racing and greyhound racing with corporate bookmakers before closing his accounts and placing himself on BetStop, the national self-exclusion register, in 2023.

The NRL said on Friday that Klein’s betting had come to its attention seven years ago.

“The NRL first became aware of this matter in 2019, at which time it was investigated to the satisfaction of NRL management at the time,” an NRL spokesperson said.

Satisfied he was not breaching any rules, the NRL did not stand Klein down or take him out of frontline refereeing for any period of time.

It is understood Klein was spoken to by the NRL about gambling since the issue first came to light and he told them he had got it under control.

In a statement, Klein said: “Many years ago I developed a problem with gambling on horse racing and greyhound racing. This gambling was not related to any betting on Rugby League, and my job as a referee has never been impacted. I received help to deal with the problem and closed all associated betting accounts. This was a difficult period of my life but one which did not in any way influence my job as a match official.”

There is no suggestion Klein has ever acted inappropriately while officiating or breached any NRL regulations. Referees, who earn more than $330,000 a year, are forbidden from betting on rugby league but, like players, coaches, administrators and other participants, they are free to wager on other sports including racing.

Given referees’ role as the on-field authority and their ability to influence games and outcomes within them, though, the emergence of Klein’s past gambling raises questions about the steps the NRL took before clearing him to continue at the highest level and about the measures in place to mitigate integrity risks.

Sports integrity