With the 2026 National Rugby League (NRL) season up and running after a blockbuster curtain raiser in Las Vegas last weekend attention now turns back to rugby on Australian turf.

Rugby league is a religion in Australia and as a result betting interest around it is always high – but this NRL season coincides with political pressure on the government to make good on gambling reform, with particular scrutiny around betting marketing in sport.

Ahead of the rest of the NRL round one fixtures this weekend, Tristan Merlehan, Chief Trading Officer at betr, speaks exclusively to SBC News’ Bookies Corner about where punters are putting their money during a blockbuster season and a tense regulatory period.

Bet builders make NRL impact

The Newcastle Knights and Canterbury Bulldogs’ NRL campaigns both got off to positive starts in the US, with wins over the North Queensland Cowboys and St George Illawarra Dragons respectively, but 12 more of the comp’s 17 teams got their seasons started on home soil this weekend. 

Last year saw the Brisbane Broncos end a 19-year drought to win the Grand Final against the Melbourne Storm, with Reece Walsh, Adam Reynolds and Payne Haas being a select few of the number of key catalysts which helped the Broncos’ return to glory. 

It also ended a four-year winning run for the Penrith Panthers, who once again look strong heading into 2026 despite last season’s crushing preliminary-final exit to the eventual champions. 

“The Sydney Roosters are by far and away our biggest stand, and firmer in the off season,” he says. 

“We laid a bet of $1,500 @ $10 the opening day we released the markets and they are in to $7 and our biggest liability. 

“Penrith are our second worst way, and have also been backed from $7 into $5.50”

With the popularity of in-play betting consistently growing and bet builders (parlays) becoming a staple in various sports, Merlehan says that betr is looking to improve its offering this season – and not just for rugby league. 

He explains: “We are focusing on adding to our depth of markets over the course of 2026, and leveraging our first to market Bet Tracker technology which will ensure customers are always up to speed with how their bets are tracking. 

“We are also currently finalising our development of a new promotion which we feel is going to be a great addition for customers to use on Australian football codes – so keep an eye on the platform for more information.”

Player props stand out

Roosters flyer Mark Nawaqanitawase stamped his authority on rugby league and the NRL last season after switching codes. 

The winger scored 24 tries in just 23 NRL games across the season and this is set to be his last season in the competition – for now – as he will move back to union to join the Saitama Wild Knights at the end of the year. 

According to Merlehan, however, this hasn’t dissuaded punters from backing him to be top tryscorer again this time around. 

“[He] has attracted the most individual bets and is solid in the top tryscorer market firming from $9 into $8 due to constant support,” Merlehan says. 

“There has been a wide spread of activity on this market with our worst way Heamasi Makasini the biggest firmer $101 into $41 on the back of the impressive pre-season and our worst way.”

Last year saw the Canberra Raiders top the table for the regular season, before a semi-final exit to the Cronulla Sharks. 

However, the 2019 runners-up are not among the top four favourites this year. Merlehan explains that this is not due to a lack of attention.

He adds: “Canberra have been solid in the market and are a red number in our book presently. 

“The best roughie so far has been the Bunnies (South Sydney Rabbitohs) – whilst the Haas signing (effective 2027) has no impact on the 2026 there has been an influx of support for them since that news at a big price given the ceiling punters believe they have.”

The tough task of NRL marketing

The Australian market, like many other jurisdictions around the world, has been under scrutiny recently. There have been ongoing governmental discussions, particularly around gambling advertising reform in the country. 

For betr, this has been somewhat of a challenge, with Merlehan admitting marketing has become a tough task. 

He says: “Marketing our product to the world at large is very difficult in the current market place, however we are comfortable with the product and promotions we will offer to our valued customers.”

The NRL is notable for having begun to distance itself from betting sponsors, with New South Wales teams particularly prone to this. In 2024, for example, the Rabbitohs and Bulldogs both opted to extend their self-imposed ban on betting sponsors for a further three years in line with the state government’s ‘Reclaim the Game’ initiative.

At the federal level, some politicians are becoming increasingly frustrated with PM Anthony Albanese‘s delays in implementing any of the 31 recommendations of the Murphy report. This included a recommendation for a ban on gambling advertising.

Nonetheless, Australia remains a huge market, clearly one big enough for betr to chase acquisition opportunities there, such as its dogged pursuit of a takeover of PointsBet last year.

Rugby league, and particularly the NRL, will continue to be important to Australian betting regardless of political outcomes, but bookmakers’ ability to market within the sport may be another matter.