Calls have intensified for the options open to punters betting on NRL games to be reviewed.

Amidst a police investigation into suspicious betting activity around a North Queensland versus Canterbury game on August 21, Penrith coach Matt Elliott has called for "exotic" betting on NRL games to be banned.

The bets involve punting on specific events in games such as how the opening points will be scored.

"If you put it out there as a risk of happening it will eventually happen, it's inevitable, so remove it as being a risk," Elliott told reporters on Wednesday.

"If you take away first tryscorer and first try off a penalty and all that sort of stuff, you'll take away the ability of people (to cheat).

"If you're asking 13 people to cheat and you can pull that off, well congratulations.

"I have never been involved in a rugby league team or around a group of people that would be prepared to do it."

A police task force is investigating the Cowboys-Bulldogs allegations after a high number of bets were placed on a penalty goal being the first points in the match.

Canterbury forward Ryan Tandy has strongly denied any involvement after he knocked on at the first play-the-ball of the game and then gave away a penalty in front of his own posts, opening up the opportunity for the Cowboys to kick a penalty goal.

However, the Cowboys opted for a tap and ultimately scored a try in a match which had no bearing on the NRL finals.

Elliott's call came as the NRL described as "preposterous" rumours aired on the Austereo network that high profile players, managers and "underworld figures" were involved in an NRL match-fixing scandal that would be investigated after the October 3 grand final.

"Number one, we're not aware of any such syndicate, any such claim, or even a direct accusation about that," NRL spokesman John Brady told the network.

"Number two, there have been two issues this year in relation to betting and concerns.

"One is fairly (well) documented in relation to (betting on) the Melbourne Storm (receiving the wooden spoon), the other is the betting activity around North Queensland-Canterbury match.

"In both instances we've initiated an independent inquiry.

"If there's something there to work on, we work on it.

"But the suggestion of a rumour that we're aware of some network is just preposterous."

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