Brandon Smith has secured a major courtroom victory after prosecutors withdrew the insider-betting charge that threatened his NRL career—but the South Sydney hooker is not yet clear of legal trouble.
Queensland Police were ordered to pay Smith $3,500 towards his legal costs after the prosecution offered no evidence on the betting charge. A separate allegation that Smith supplied cocaine to former Sydney Roosters teammate Victor Radley remains before the courts.
Betting Charge Withdrawn In Southport Court
Smith appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday for a hearing concerning a charge of disclosing inside knowledge for another person to place a relevant bet.
The police prosecutor formally withdrew the allegation and told Magistrate Louisa Pink that no evidence would be offered.
The charge related to allegations Smith told an associate that he would return from injury in South Sydney’s starting side for a match against Manly on July 2, 2025.
The associate allegedly placed a $200 first-try-scorer bet on Smith at odds of $91, which would have returned more than $18,000.
With the charge withdrawn, Smith will not face trial or any penalty over the alleged betting disclosure. The withdrawal does not amount to a judicial finding on every disputed fact, but the prosecution against him has ended.
‘This Should Never Have Seen The Light Of Day’
Smith’s solicitor Paul McGirr delivered a scathing assessment of the investigation outside court.
“This matter should never have seen the light of day,” McGirr said.
“Brandon has asked me to express he just wants to get on with his life. He is playing good football; he is in a good place at the moment.”
McGirr argued that the police brief had been poorly prepared and said investigators failed to establish that Smith possessed information unavailable to the public.
“The brief of evidence is extremely poorly prepared given the delay,” he told the court.
“Even a junior prosecutor would look at this particular matter and realise there are problems.
“The betting company, being Sportsbet, was not spoken to. That was fatal to their case; it could never have succeeded.”
Smith was described as satisfied with the outcome after spending almost a year defending the allegation.
Jurisdiction Problem Weakened Prosecution
The court heard that investigators had obtained text messages allegedly exchanged between Smith and an associate.
However, mobile-phone tower records indicated that some messages were received through infrastructure located in New South Wales. That created uncertainty over whether any alleged offence occurred within Queensland’s jurisdiction.
Police Prosecutor Sergeant Blair Casey reportedly maintained that the case contained supporting material but acknowledged “grey areas” and factual complications.
McGirr also attacked evidence supplied by a gambling expert as “pure speculation” and questioned why investigators had not established which team information was publicly available when the alleged conversation took place.
Magistrate Pink accepted that police continued prosecuting without evidence proving Smith possessed inside knowledge of the player list.
She declined to award all the costs sought by Smith’s lawyers but ordered Queensland Police to pay $3,500 for nine court appearances requiring legal representation.
Cocaine Supply Allegation Remains Before Court
Smith continues to face one count of unlawfully supplying a dangerous drug.
Police allege he supplied cocaine to Radley at Currimundi on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast on June 7, 2025.
The allegation has not been proven, and Smith is entitled to the presumption of innocence. His solicitor said he would continue speaking with police about the remaining matter.
“Hopefully common sense will prevail on that,” McGirr said.
Radley has not been charged with a criminal offence in connection with the allegation.
Smith’s remaining charge will be dealt with separately, meaning the collapse of the betting prosecution has no automatic legal effect on the drug-supply case.
Rabbitohs Inform NRL Integrity Unit
South Sydney issued a short statement following the court proceedings.
“The South Sydney Rabbitohs acknowledge the outcome of today’s court proceedings, which has seen a police charge of disclosing inside knowledge for purposes of other making relevant bet against player Brandon Smith withdrawn,” the club’s official statement read.
“The Rabbitohs have informed the NRL Integrity Unit of the outcome of these proceedings.
“The Rabbitohs have no further comment to make on this matter.”
The NRL has not announced whether it will conduct an additional integrity review into the betting allegations or wait for Smith’s remaining criminal matter to be finalised.
Smith was not automatically stood down after being charged in 2025 because the allegations did not trigger the NRL’s mandatory no-fault stand-down policy.
What The Decision Means For Smith
The withdrawal removes one of the two serious allegations hanging over Smith’s career.
It also prevents the insider-betting matter from proceeding to a contested hearing, ending the possibility of a criminal conviction on that charge.
Smith can now focus on playing for South Sydney while preparing to defend the remaining allegation.
Calling him completely cleared would be inaccurate while the drug-supply charge remains unresolved. On the betting case, however, prosecutors have ended their pursuit—and Smith’s legal team believes it should never have begun.
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