NRL’s number one referee Ashley Klein had been allowed to continue officiating the league’s biggest games despite gambling away hundreds of thousands of dollars

It’s also been revealed that the NRL had been aware of his gambling problem relating to horse and greyhound racing since 2019 and allowed him to keep refereeing.

Klein is set to officiate State of Origin Game II in Melbourne next week.

There is no suggestion that Klein has ever acted inappropriately while officiating or breached any NRL regulations.

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