Sportsbook software sources report that Russell Crowe, South Sydney owner, defended the multi-million dollar deal made by his club with casino Star City, as there is an ongoing debate over the association that the NRL has with gambling.

On Friday, the club has made an announcement of the sponsorship deal with the Sydney casino, which includes having the logo of Star City show up on the home jerseys of the Rabbitohs for the following three seasons, according to sportsboook software sources.

The deal comes just days after Penrith said that their home ground will be named Centrebet Stadium, while Manly will also be having the logo of Centrebet this season on the back of their jumpers.

The sponsorship announcement came in the midst of an ongoing probe into betting irregularities during a clash last year between North Queensland and Canterbury.

Sportsbook software sources found out that the new commercial arrangements that have been made by Souths are representing a pretty big back-flip from Crowe, as well as co-owner Peter Holmes a Court, who in 2007tried to take away poker machines from Souths Leagues Club, saying that profit from poker machines was standing at odds with the program that the club has.

“The football club is a completely different organisation from the leagues club,” Crowe said on Friday.

“We don’t have any control over what the leagues club do, they run their own game.”

Crowe then decided to defend the move by saying that Star City is primarily a precinct for entertainment, and suggested the benefits that society receives from the revenue coming from gaming.

“This is an entertainment venue in general, it’s not just about gaming,” said the Oscar-winning actor.

“Let’s get real about this situation, we’re living in a state where they’re telling us that the revenue from poker machines is paying for our hospitals.

“What we’re talking about here is about a connection between two organisations that are all about entertainment, that are all about the future of Sydney.”

Shane Richardson, Souths chief executive, has echoed the views that have been expressed this week by NRL chief executive David Gallop, saying that the association between gambling and sport “is as old as sport itself”.

“Let’s be honest no sport in the world could ignore it, we’re not holier than thou, the NFL, the English Premier League, wherever it is, there’s gambling,” Richardson said.

Betting site services know that his words hold a lot of truth, as sports as gambling, and the connection between the two, are indeed very old.