Independent Senator David Pocock says he was kicked out of the Australian Parliamentarian Sports Club after he questioned his sponsorship links to the gambling industry lobby group. He was later invited back after that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese It is said that everyone should be welcome to play, however Pocock decided not to return.
Why was I banned from practicing parliamentary sports… pic.twitter.com/QA7KfXLYul
– David Pocock (@DavidPocock) October 10, 2025
The club runs friendly matches between MPs and their staff, public servants and journalists during sitting weeks. Pocock says most people involved didn’t know that Responsible Wagering Australia was one of the club’s sponsors, and that it had reportedly received a $2500 donation from them. He said he had not seen the club’s newsletter and was not aware of it when he joined.
Daily Mail Reports Club chief executive Andy Turnbull denies there has been any pressure on the pitch, saying they only registered the club to be “on the safe side” given members include MPs and corporate sponsors.
The senator, who has been outspoken on gambling reform, has previously called for an inquiry into politicians’ reception Sports event tickets as gifts From the major leagues “deeply troubling.”
Pocock raises concerns about the sports club’s alleged ties to the gambling lobby
“The thing that most people probably don’t know is that every morning when Parliament sits, members and senators from all sides of politics play different sports together, early in the morning before Parliament starts,” the former Wallabies captain said in a video posted on the X website.
“It’s a lot of fun and a great way to get to know people and get some exercise before spending very long days in Parliament, it helps build relationships across the political aisle, and I think that’s really important in our democracy.”
Pocock said he was shocked to discover that the club was “taking money from major corporations for access to morning sports, and therefore from politicians and their staff who participate”, including groups such as Responsible betting in Australia.
“As a result, the Parliamentary Sports Club has been on the lobbying register for many years, something most of us had no idea about,” he said. “I only found out because they changed their name.”
Pocock also pointed out that the club’s chairman is Prime Minister Albanese, a situation he described as “extremely embarrassing”.
“(It) puts him in a very awkward position, because he’s actually the head of a lobbying firm, which I think most Australians would have concerns about,” Pocock said. “It seems really crazy for it to be set up this way.”
After speaking privately and publicly about his concerns, Pocock said the club chose to retain the gambling sponsor.
“(The club) decided not to tell these lobbyists they couldn’t attend, not to stop taking money from companies and instead focus on what sport is and can be here in Parliament,” he said. “But instead, they kicked me out of the club. They told me that I could not be a member and that I was not welcome to attend matches run by the club.”
“I think this shows how normalized the influence of people like the gambling industry is in this place,” Pocock added.
“When you raise questions about that, instead of dealing with what seems like a big issue to me and a lot of people I talk to, you get kicked out of the parliamentary gym.”
Responsible Wagering Australia represents major betting companies such as Sportsbet, Ladbrokes and bet365. To date, neither the club nor the RWA have made any public comment on Pocock’s sacking.
ReadWrite has reached out to RWA for comment.
Featured image: David Pocock via X/Canva
this post Senator David Pocock has been kicked out of a sports club over a gambling sponsorship row appeared first on Read and write.
[og_img]
Source link