Sportsbet Ends Nick Foot Relationship After Butters Tribunal Saga
Sportsbet has ended its relationship with nick foot after the Zak Butters tribunal saga. The move comes after Foot’s racing-only work on Get On and closes off one of the more unusual links between an active AFL umpire and a betting company.
Nick Foot and Sportsbet
Foot was told late last week that the arrangement was over. He had been involved with Sportsbet in a horse racing analyst role, while the AFL approved that work at the start of 2025 after he asked to join the betting company.
The AFL backed his role, and Foot’s umpiring record gives the decision added weight: he has umpired 272 AFL games and handled the 2024 Grand Final. Sportsbet now says it will no longer feature any serving sports administrators or officials in its programming, a broader policy shift beyond Foot himself.
Zak Butters tribunal saga
The change traces back to Gather Round, when Zak Butters was reported for abusive language toward Foot after a free kick and 50-metre penalty were awarded to St Kilda. Butters allegedly said, “How much are they (St Kilda) paying you?”
Butters denied the comment throughout the saga. He was initially fined by the tribunal before the case was thrown out at the Appeals Board on a legal technicality, leaving the controversy hanging over Foot’s outside work and Sportsbet’s use of serving officials.
What Sportsbet changed
Sportsbet said Foot had appeared on its Get On racing coverage “in a racing‑only capacity” and that, following feedback, it had decided “to no longer feature any serving sports administrators or officials in our programming, to ensure clear separation from their official roles. We thank Nick for his work and wish him well in his umpiring career.”
Foot, who also continues his horse racing podcast 2 Units, said, “My time with the Get On racing team is something I'll always value,” and added, “Broadcasting racing, working alongside close mates, and interviewing the people who make the industry tick has been a genuine highlight.” He also said, “I'm a proud horse racing and umpiring person and continue to share a passion for both.”
For Foot, the practical change is simple: the Sportsbet link is gone, but his umpiring and racing commitments are not. For Sportsbet, the line it drew after the Butters case is sharper than before, with serving officials now out of its programming altogether.
