Brownlow Medal betting: odds, markets and the integrity rules

Key facts

AFL umpires award Brownlow votes on a 3-2-1 basis after each game, and the votes stay secret until they are read out on Brownlow night.
In 2023 the VGCCC allowed Brownlow betting, including round-by-round markets, after the AFL agreed to controls including a ban on AFL betting by all AFL persons, umpires included, and $250 payout limits on Brownlow round bets.
ACMA found that a live market during the Brownlow count did not breach the in-play ban, because the televised count is not itself a sporting event.
Nick Daicos won the 2026 Brownlow Medal with a record 47 votes, ahead of Bailey Smith (36) and Marcus Bontempelli (34).
If two players tie in a market with no tie option, the dead heat rule halves the payout: $10 at $3.50 returns $17.50.

What Brownlow Medal betting is

Brownlow Medal betting is betting on which AFL player polls the most votes for the Brownlow Medal, or on related markets such as club leaders and round-by-round tallies. It is unlike any match bet. AFL.com.au says the umpires award Brownlow votes on a 3-2-1 basis after each game, and the AFL keeps them under tight security until they are read out on Brownlow night. So the result is already decided before the count; the market is on what has not yet been revealed. That is why the Brownlow has its own integrity rules.

How the votes work

Step	What happens
After each game	The umpires award 3, 2 and 1 votes to the three players they rate best
During the season	The votes stay secret
Count night	Votes are read out round by round
The result	The player with the most votes wins, subject to the AFL's eligibility rules

The 2026 count was held on Monday 21 September at Crown Melbourne, starting at 8pm AEST. Nick Daicos of Collingwood won with a record 47 votes, Bailey Smith of Geelong was second with 36, and Marcus Bontempelli of the Western Bulldogs was third with 34. AFL.com.au's tracker also marked some vote-getters as ineligible, so check how your bookmaker treats an ineligible player before you bet on a market he could affect.

Brownlow markets

Market	What you pick	Settled
Winner	The Brownlow medallist	On count night
Top 3 or top 5 finish	A player to finish in that range	On count night; ties split
Club leading vote-getter	The top polling player at one club	On count night; ties split
Head to head	Which of two players polls more	Check the rule for a tie
Total votes, over or under	A player's tally	On count night
Round-by-round	The leader after a given round	During the count

The winner market is open for months, which makes it a futures bet. Prices move with every game and every injury. Once the season ends the votes are fixed, but prices keep moving until the count.

Brownlow odds and the margin

Brownlow odds are decimal prices, like any AFL market in our AFL betting guide. A club leader market shows the margin clearly. Here is an example:

Player	Price	Implied chance
Player A	$1.60	62.50%
Player B	$4.00	25.00%
Player C	$7.00	14.29%
Player D	$11.00	9.09%
Player E	$15.00	6.67%
Total		117.54%

In our calculation a balanced book keeps 14.92% of this market. A market with many names spreads the margin across every price, so add them up with the implied probability calculator before you bet.

Ties and dead heats

Two players can finish on the same number of votes. If a market has no tie option, a bookmaker's dead heat rule applies. Under the TAB's Victorian rules, the payout is divided by the number of players tied and multiplied by the placings they fill.

$10 on a club leader at $3.50	Return
Your player polls the most votes outright	$35.00
Your player ties with one teammate	$17.50
Your player ties with two teammates	$11.67

Our dead heat calculator does the sum for any price, and the dead heat rules guide explains the formula.

The integrity rules

The Brownlow has its own integrity controls, overseen in Victoria by the state regulator.

What changed after 2022

The VGCCC, Victoria's gambling regulator, made inquiries after reports that an AFL umpire allegedly leaked round-by-round votes before the 2022 count, which allegedly led to a series of successful bets. In August 2023 it allowed betting on the 2023 count, including round-by-round voting, after the AFL agreed to tougher controls:

Immediate measures for 2023	Measures the VGCCC said it would monitor
A ban on any type of AFL betting by all AFL persons, including umpires	A real-time transaction monitoring system
Payout limits of $250 on all Brownlow round bets	Prohibiting betting providers over compliance concerns
All betting transaction data provided to the AFL	A monthly audit of unapproved bet types
Strengthened surveillance of umpires and their associates	Identifying vulnerable player groups at higher risk
Spot audits of all AFL persons

A $250 payout limit changes the maths of round bets. At $6.00, a stake of $41.67 already reaches $250, so any extra stake adds risk without adding return. Check the current limits with your bookmaker, as the VGCCC described these as measures for the 2023 vote.

AFL.com.au reported that the AFL kept the voting process itself unchanged after the 2022 investigation.

Betting during the count

ACMA looked at whether a live market during the Brownlow count breached the Interactive Gambling Act's ban on online in-play betting. It found it did not: the televised presentation is not a sporting event itself, and the result is not a contingency that happens in the course of a sporting event. The same reasoning covered the Norm Smith Medal and the Clive Churchill Medal. That is different from betting on a match once it starts, which is banned online; see our guide to in-play betting in Australia.

Brownlow betting and the law

Bet on the Brownlow only with a bookmaker licensed in an Australian state or territory. Licensed providers cannot take credit cards or crypto. The 2023 controls also banned all AFL persons, including umpires, from any type of AFL betting.

Pundit tip: the Brownlow is decided before anyone bets on count night. If a price moves sharply before the count with no football reason, treat it as a warning, not a tip.

For decimal prices from scratch, read how to read odds, and every other bet type is in our bet types guide.

Frequently asked questions

How are Brownlow Medal votes awarded?

The umpires award votes on a 3-2-1 basis after each game: 3 to the player they rate best on ground, 2 to the next and 1 to the third. The AFL keeps the votes secure until they are read out at the count.

Can you bet on the Brownlow during the count?

ACMA found that a bookmaker offering a live market during the Brownlow count was not breaching the in-play betting ban, because the televised count is not a sporting event and its result is not something that happens during a sporting event. The same reasoning applied to the Norm Smith and Clive Churchill medals.

Why are there limits on Brownlow round betting?

After reports that votes were leaked before the 2022 count, the VGCCC allowed 2023 betting only once the AFL agreed to new controls, including $250 payout limits on all Brownlow round bets and a ban on AFL betting by all AFL persons, including umpires.

How do Brownlow odds work?

They are decimal prices on a player polling the most votes. $4.00 returns $40 from a $10 bet and implies a 25% chance. Add up every price in a market to see the bookmaker's margin.

What happens if two players tie for the Brownlow?

If a market has no tie option, a bookmaker's dead heat rule applies. Under the TAB's Victorian rules, the payout is divided by the number of players tied.