In May, Clayton Lewis, along with two other Macarthur FC players, were arrested and charged for alleged spot-fixing through the manipulation of yellow cards. July 4th saw Lewis appearing before the Downing Centre Local Court located in Sydney, and it was confirmed that the player had no intentions of pleading guilty to the charges. Lewis is set to appear before court again in August to defend the charge.
The three, along with a number of other Macarthur FC players who were later involved in the case, have been accused of engaging in yellow card manipulation during games that were held on November 24th and December 9th last year. Allegedly, they had tried to do the same in 2024 but were unsuccessful.
At present, Lewis is banned from participating in Australian Football League (AFL) matches, but the no-fault suspension could be lifted depending on the outcome of the court proceedings. However, Ulises Davila, the second supposed perpetrator and the individual who has been accused of recruiting others into the betting corruption scheme, will no longer be playing for Macarthur FC as his contract has been terminated under what the club announced to be a mutual agreement. Kearyn Baccus, another individual believed to be involved in the scheme, saw his contract not renewed, and the same happened with Matthew Millar, who has officially left Macarthur FC.
NSW Government Took Down a Gambling Awareness Ad Involving One of Lewis’ Teammates
The government of New South Wales and the state’s gambling regulator have a number of rules and guidelines that focus on gambling and, in particular, the issue of gambling addiction. As such, the state has seen the launch of various campaigns that seek to raise awareness about gambling harm and help the public learn more about how to seek help when necessary.
A number of these initiatives include sports clubs, with a major one being “Reclaim the Game,” which was launched in 2020 and is centred around curbing the promotion of gambling by sports teams in the region. Macarthur FC is one of the AFL clubs that have become members of Reclaim the Game. Other prominent teams that are a part of this initiative include the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs rugby club, the Sydney Kings basketball clubs, and more, with the latest teams that pledged to avoid betting sponsorships being the netball clubs the NSW Swifts and the Giants Netball.
One awareness campaign involved Baccus, in which the player appeared on camera and instructed bettors who were impacted by gambling harm on how they could find assistance. ABC News reached out to Liquor and Gaming NSW regarding Baccus’ involvement in the campaign following his charges, after which the ad was promptly removed.
According to recent studies on the matter, celebrity endorsement is one of the biggest contributors to Australian youth’s positive opinions about gambling. A survey conducted by the Australian Research Council has found that seeing celebrities endorse the practice made the activity appear fun, normal, and safe to children. It, therefore, makes sense that the NSW government found it fit to remove Baccus from the awareness campaign.
- Author
Daniel Williams
