Australian Football League (AFL) integrity rules have been tightened with additional restrictions for media personnel who currently bet on Australian rules games in the country.

Accredited journalists and broadcasters will not be able to place wagers on games they attend as part of their work.

The rules will be in affect during the opening game of the NAB challenge this Thursday.

The AFL will introduce a five-hour blackout period for the media, running from two hours before the game through to the end.

“For clarity, if you are working at a match, you may still bet on that match outside of this five-hour period, for example during the week, or before you are in the venue on match day,” said the AFL.

The new boundaries come as a result of certain members of the media being privy to sensitive team information once entering a venue, before the 90-minute cut-off period where clubs have to hand their final team sheets to the AFL.

AFL staff are already banned from betting on the competition themselves.