Gold Coast Sun suspended for betting on AFL matches

Stephenson was handed a 22-game ban — of which 12 were suspended — and a $20,000 fine for three bets on the Magpies across three matches, including wagering on himself. At that time, the 10-game ban meant he missed all of their remaining home-and-away matches for the season. Stephenson is now with North Melbourne.

Other gambling penalties handed down by the AFL through the years include former Magpie Heath Shaw being banned for 14 matches - six of them suspended - and fined $20,000 in 2011 for betting on his then-Collingwood skipper Nick Maxwell to kick the first goal of a game. Maxwell didn’t bet but was given a $10,000 fine, with half that amount suspended, after some family members placed bets on him being the first goalkicker.

In 2018, Magpie Brayden Sier was given a suspended $5000 fine for betting during the 2017 season. None of the bets involved matches the Magpies played in.

In 2017, Melbourne forward Jake Melksham was fined $10,000 by the AFL for misleading AFL investigators during an inquiry into activity on his betting account. In 2015, Magpie Jack Crisp was fined $5000 for bets on matches totalling $129. These bets had been placed a year earlier while he was playing with Brisbane.