Carlton's head of football, Andrew McKay, discouraged the coaches from being part of the informal "punters' club" for betting on racehorses at the outset of the 2015 season, a suggestion the coaches were only too willing to accept.

Sources said the punting club – which involved players pooling small amounts of money and regularly betting on horses – consisted of about 10 players and a few coaches, but had dwindled to around three to four players since then, as the club took a "proactive" approach.

In a statement, Carlton said: "We understand there is a broader community issue that we face and professional athletes are at higher risk given their circumstances. Our player and staff welfare is paramount so we have taken a proactive approach, using experts to educate and counsel about these risks."

The betting pool was not believed large in terms of amounts, but the Blues still felt that it would be preferable if coaches were not involved.

The Carlton players have just been receiving gambling education from health sociologist and gambling expert, Professor Samantha Thomas, who has counselled other AFL clubs. The use of Thomas is believed to have been club-driven. AFL players also receive gambling education – along with drug education and a host of other welfare issues – through the AFL Players Association.

Players getting together to wager on horses is hardly unusual at AFL clubs – and it does not violate any rules or regulations, given that the only prohibition is for players and officials betting on AFL.

But the fact that the Blues gently persuaded some assistant coaches to withdraw from the player betting pool is another sign that clubs and the industry more broadly are concerned about the self-harm potential of players betting heavily and the image of betting, although many clubs have lucrative deals with sports betting agencies.

Carlton's situation follows Essendon's announcement that the Bombers will not seek commercial partnerships with betting agencies – joining four other clubs. Ex-Hawk Brent Guerra, meanwhile, has revealed he lost about $400,000 gambling over four years, while there are numerous other stories about players blowing their savings through betting of one form or another. Responding to Guerra's confession, Hawthorn has said it does not believe it has a gambling problem.

Ex-Demon David Schwarz, who blew a fortune punting on horses, has been a strong advocate about the dangers of footballers betting heavily, while former Carlton and Brisbane Lions spearhead Brendan Fevola is another celebrated case of a player who lost hundreds and thousands of dollars gambling.

The concern about players betting – even in the modest amounts – follows a significant crackdown from the AFL on players and officials betting on games. Bulldog Lachie Hunter was cleared by an AFL investigation that found his betting account had been used by a VFL listed player, while Collingwood's Jack Crisp was fined, but not suspended, for betting on AFL games as part of a multi-bet on different codes.