Gambling in Football

[cabbageandribs1875]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39742718

Gambling is "rife" in Scottish football with managers, referees, directors and chairmen all involved, according to PFA Scotland chairman John Rankin.

"It's rife, we're not hiding from it. The majority are probably doing it."


doesn't surprise me in the slightest

[danhibees1875]

Rife in the Ladbrokes premiership, William Hill Scottish cup and Betfred league cup? Shocking.

[easty]

I think they should be allowed to waste their money at the bookies if they want. Just not in games they're involved in.

[easty]

Rife in the Ladbrokes premiership, William Hill Scottish cup and Betfred league cup? Shocking.

:tee hee:

[JimboHibs]

Rife in the Ladbrokes premiership, William Hill Scottish cup and Betfred league cup? Shocking.

Terrible thankfully Marathon Bet don't promote gambling LOL

[GreenNWhiteArmy]

I think they should be allowed to waste their money at the bookies if they want. Just not in games they're involved in.

That's my views. Regardless of whether they play in said game or not

[cabbageandribs1875]

i'd be willing to put money on the linesman at the sparky free kick game against hertz having a few quid on a draw, or maybe he was just a cheating hertz ****

[Since90+2]

The current rules in place are part of the problem.

Currently any professional player in Scotland is banned from betting on any football matches anywhere in the world which is absurd. In theory if a Ross County player was caught betting on the Barcelona v Real Madrid game he would face sanctions.

Players should obviously not be allowed to bet on games involving their teams and you could make a case for a blanket game on all Scottish fixtures (due to them potentially having inside info about injuries or team morale ect) but a worldwide ban is daft.

[easty]

The current rules in place are part of the problem.

Currently any professional player in Scotland is banned from betting on any football matches anywhere in the world which is absurd. In theory if a Ross County player was caught betting on the Barcelona v Real Madrid game he would face sanctions.

Players should obviously not be allowed to bet on games involving their teams and you could make a case for a blanket game on all Scottish fixtures (due to them potentially having inside info about injuries or team morale ect) but a worldwide ban is daft.

If the have inside info, then good for them, beat the bookies.

If they can't directly influence a game, then they should be allowed to bet on it's outcome.

[Sergey]

The current rules in place are part of the problem.

Currently any professional player in Scotland is banned from betting on any football matches anywhere in the world which is absurd. In theory if a Ross County player was caught betting on the Barcelona v Real Madrid game he would face sanctions.

Players should obviously not be allowed to bet on games involving their teams and you could make a case for a blanket game on all Scottish fixtures (due to them potentially having inside info about injuries or team morale ect) but a worldwide ban is daft.

There are numerous clubs owned by bookmakers - Stoke City for example is owned by Peter Coates who owns Bet365 - he's allowed to take bets on the very team he owns and finances.

It's plain daft.

[DarlingtonHibee]

I'm afraid sponsorship is in the main part money. Tobacco, alcohol in the past now gambling.

[JimBHibees]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39742718

Gambling is "rife" in Scottish football with managers, referees, directors and chairmen all involved, according to PFA Scotland chairman John Rankin.

"It's rife, we're not hiding from it. The majority are probably doing it."


doesn't surprise me in the slightest

Interesting he mentions refs which would be incredible IMO.

[Billy Whizz]

Maybe gambling/alcohol logos, shouldn't be allowed on any replica strips

[leither17]

i'd be willing to put money on the linesman at the sparky free kick game against hertz having a few quid on a draw, or maybe he was just a cheating hertz ****

Well it cost me about 500 quid anyway

[emerald green]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39742718

Gambling is "rife" in Scottish football with managers, referees, directors and chairmen all involved, according to PFA Scotland chairman John Rankin.

"It's rife, we're not hiding from it. The majority are probably doing it."


doesn't surprise me in the slightest

Referees involved? Whoever would have suspected this? It's not as if there's a shred of suspicion. :cb

[cabbageandribs1875]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39747787


A top official at football's world governing body Fifa was involved in "multiple schemes to accept and pay bribes to soccer officials", United States prosecutors say
.
Richard Lai, 55, has admitted taking $950,000 (£735,000) in bribes.

He sits on Fifa's audit and compliance committee as well as the ethics committee of the Asian Football Confederation.


ethics committee :hilarious aye right

[cabbageandribs1875]

Interesting he mentions refs which would be incredible IMO.


Well it cost me about 500 quid anyway


Referees involved? Whoever would have suspected this? It's not as if there's a shred of suspicion. :cb


i'm sure most of us know wherever money is involved in most levels of any sport, fraud will be involved, i'd even bet on it myself :greengrin

[Andy74]

Unless there's also a serious corruption problem alongside it I don't see the problem.

Players betting on their own games should be banned but otherwise, meh.

[Pretty Boy]

Unless there's also a serious corruption problem alongside it I don't see the problem.

Players betting on their own games should be banned but otherwise, meh.

That's where I am.

I don't get Bartons argument about football having to examine it's links to gambling companies through sponsorship either. If a club is sponsored by an alcohol company a player wouldn't go out and neck 10 pints pre game so I'm unsure why gambling sponsorship made Barton breach betting rules.

[jacomo]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39747787


A top official at football's world governing body Fifa was involved in "multiple schemes to accept and pay bribes to soccer officials", United States prosecutors say
.
Richard Lai, 55, has admitted taking $950,000 (£735,000) in bribes.

He sits on Fifa's audit and compliance committee as well as the ethics committee of the Asian Football Confederation.


ethics committee :hilarious aye right


Why do you think he wanted to be on the ethics committee?

It's similar to City folk volunteering themselves onto company remuneration committees - certainly not in their interest to keep a lid on salaries.

[jacomo]

That's where I am.

I don't get Bartons argument about football having to examine it's links to gambling companies through sponsorship either. If a club is sponsored by an alcohol company a player wouldn't go out and neck 10 pints pre game so I'm unsure why gambling sponsorship made Barton breach betting rules.


Football used to be sponsored heavily by drinks companies, and lots of footballers wasted their careers because of drink.

Now it's heavily sponsored by gambling firms (almost all pervasive) and footballers are heavily involved in a gambling culture.

You don't have to work too hard to join the dots.

[Andy74]

Football used to be sponsored heavily by drinks companies, and lots of footballers wasted their careers because of drink.

Now it's heavily sponsored by gambling firms (almost all pervasive) and footballers are heavily involved in a gambling culture.

You don't have to work too hard to join the dots.

Well, now that you've brought such scientific analysis into it who could argue?

:greengrin

[Since90+2]

Football used to be sponsored heavily by drinks companies, and lots of footballers wasted their careers because of drink.

Now it's heavily sponsored by gambling firms (almost all pervasive) and footballers are heavily involved in a gambling culture.

You don't have to work too hard to join the dots.

Alcohol and gambling have ruined the career of many folk over the years.

I don't see how your industry being sponsored by either would impact it to be honest.

[NAE NOOKIE]

Football used to be sponsored heavily by drinks companies, and lots of footballers wasted their careers because of drink.

Now it's heavily sponsored by gambling firms (almost all pervasive) and footballers are heavily involved in a gambling culture.

You don't have to work too hard to join the dots.

That's the thing that's going to end up making this situation a big problem for clubs and especially clubs in Scotland, where not only do we have a few ( like us ) who are directly sponsored by betting companies, but also where our three biggest competitions are sponsored by betting companies.

How these dots are going to end up being joined is by the lifestyle police, who rather than take the attitude that more should be done to help people with gambling addiction through counselling etc, will take the attitude that the way to put a stop to gambling is to change the law to force the entertainment industry, and sport in particular, to disassociate itself from any connection to gambling as they have done with tobacco and to a lesser extent alcohol.

The modern approach to these things seems to be that even though millions of people can partake in such things as the consumption of alcohol or gambling without it becoming an issue for them, the fact that a relatively small minority cannot means that these pleasures should be either priced out of the grasp of Mr Average or done away with altogether.

Its a bit like the hundreds of people who appear in court every week after kicking off on a weekend because they cant imbibe alcohol without acting like a total dick and whose lawyers trot out the usual tired old guff in their defence that in their day to day life they are a cross between the Andrex puppy and the Dali Lama and the fact that they broke the jaw of a guy they had never met before was all the fault of demon drink ...... 'its not fair your honour, Mr & Mrs Tennent should be in the dock along with Mr & Mrs Carling not my client, he is the victim here'

By the sound of it exactly the defence Barton tried to put forward .... 'no wonder I gamble when half the clubs I have played for were sponsored by Bet Fred and 32 Red and the competitions they played in were sponsored by the betting industry' .... No hint of any personal responsibility, no sign of any bruises from where William Hill forced him through the door with his arm up his back either.

Don't get me wrong, I do understand that some folk have a predilection to addiction and more should be done to help people who find themselves in that position, but I don't agree that the solution is to take away or curtail the enjoyment of the vast majority of people who can partake in life's pleasures without becoming a burden to society or their families ..... and that includes denying a sport, which in Scotland at least, needs every penny it can get to stay afloat yet another source of much needed income.

As for Barton himself, it would be a lot easier to have sympathy for him if this wasn't the latest in a long line of incidents where he has made a tool of himself and shone a negative light on the game of football ...... whoever bought the little scrote his first football need a good kicking.

[ancient hibee]

Seeing some of Barton's bets I don't know why he didn't tear up some tenners throw them out of the window and then chase the pieces down the street.He would have had more chance of getting his money back.Suspect that most footballers with their"knowledge of the game"are in the same boat.

[OxoHibby]

The current rules in place are part of the problem.

Currently any professional player in Scotland is banned from betting on any football matches anywhere in the world which is absurd. In theory if a Ross County player was caught betting on the Barcelona v Real Madrid game he would face sanctions.

Players should obviously not be allowed to bet on games involving their teams and you could make a case for a blanket game on all Scottish fixtures (due to them potentially having inside info about injuries or team morale ect) but a worldwide ban is daft.

I get what you are saying but how do you police it. Today they are not allowed. Get caught betting get banned. If they were allowed to bet on some who would go through the slips to make sure they didn't bet on games they weren't allowed to. Bigger issue for me is the hypocrisy of the authorities banning it but taking bookies money in sponsor

[cabbageandribs1875]

http://sport.bt.com/football/inverness-horner-charged-with-betting-against-own-team-S11364179137561


Inverness midfielder Lewis Horner is set to be punished after he was charged with betting against his own team.

The Caley Thistle player has been issued with a notice of complaint by the Scottish Football Association’s compliance officer Tony McGlennan after being accused of breaching strict rules on gambling by placing hundreds of football wagers.

[cabbageandribs1875]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39864684


Annan Athletic chairman Henry McClelland has been charged with allegedly placing 4,011 football bets, including 430 involving his own club.

Inverness CT's Lewis Horner has also been charged with allegedly placing 353 football bets, including three accumulators involving his side.

[gringojoe]

The 1991 League Cup winning squad had a sizeable bet on themselves to win the cup at big odds, got a warning from SFA I seem to remember.

[Is It On....]

Thought this was about Rangers and Hearts betting everything on success...and losing 😂

[silverhibee]

Footballers should get together and all not bet one week, bet the bookies would notice the loss. :greengrin

[danhibees1875]

The 1991 League Cup winning squad had a sizeable bet on themselves to win the cup at big odds, got a warning from SFA I seem to remember.

Seen this on an old video I have about the game. Sure they all chipped in a couple quid and the odds were 25/1. The person being interviewed said(joked?) that they never actually got the money.

[Bishop Hibee]

Seen this on an old video I have about the game. Sure they all chipped in a couple quid and the odds were 25/1. The person being interviewed said(joked?) that they never actually got the money.

Pretty sure Hibs were 40-1 at the start of that glorious campaign. Why can't players and officials bet on games not involving their own team?

[PatHead]

I remember getting told by a director of Livingston that he saw a morton player queuing up at the bookies wearing his kit. That was just before a game.

[gringojoe]

Pretty sure Hibs were 40-1 at the start of that glorious campaign. Why can't players and officials bet on games not involving their own team?

I don't think there is anything wrong with betting on yourself to win.

[hibbycraig]

Players should only get penalised if they are betting on their own team to lose/draw. If they are betting on their own team to win they're not going to take it easy are they? They will be trying their hardest to win the game.

As for betting on other teams...guys playing for edinburgh city having a bet on the champions league is the least thing I would be worrying about in the football world.

[cabbageandribs1875]

i see a punter in the Borders won 60K from a £10 accumulator bet at the start of the season on the winners of 7 leagues

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-39870743

He predicted every Scottish league winner plus the top teams in the English Championship, League One and League Two.

However, he had a nervous wait as the Championship winners Newcastle only edged out Brighton in the closing minutes of the final day on Sunday.

An 89th minute equaliser from Aston Villa's Jack Grealish against Brighton effectively handed the title to Rafa Benitez's side.

[patlowe]

I don't think there is anything wrong with betting on yourself to win.

I may be overthinking it but to me it's unsporting and compromises the integrity of competition. Imagine every member of a team places a bet on their team winning - going by the "it will only make them try harder" school of thought then surely on some level that is not fair on the other team. It's also not fair on the other teams in the league for that matter, unless those bets are being placed in every game, which is unlikely to be the case.

Also, do you really want one of our players to be preoccupied with a bet when they are playing? What if we lose a derby and our players trudge off more devastated about the potential shedload of cash they've lost in a bet than the defeat itself? You could argue that a win bonus has a similar effect but that is contractually agreed and covers a period of time, rather than a specific game.

The whole thing is murky for me and I can entirely understand why there is the blanket ban. I appreciate that I am using extreme hypotheticals, and the practical impact on sporting outcomes is probably minimal, but anything that could potentially undermine integrity needs to be nipped in the bud IMO.

[21.05.2016]

The gambling rules for players is crazy. Totally get they should be banned from betting on matches in the UK because they could have contacts or friends in clubs across the country would might be willing to fix a game for them but a East Stirling or Forfar player for example not being able to bet on say Barcelona v Real Madrid is mad.

[Eyrie]

The gambling rules for players is crazy. Totally get they should be banned from betting on matches in the UK because they could have contacts or friends in clubs across the country would might be willing to fix a game for them but a East Stirling or Forfar player for example not being able to bet on say Barcelona v Real Madrid is mad.

It's far simpler and easier to enforce a blanket ban on football betting than to say that it is OK under certain circumstances.

[overdrive]

It's far simpler and easier to enforce a blanket ban on football betting than to say that it is OK under certain circumstances.

I did at first come down on the 'it is fine to bet on your own team to win' and the 'it is fine to bet on any other game' side but there is another issue with these arguments.

Player A plays for Berwick Rangers. He puts a bet on Berwick Rangers to win League 2 at the start of the season. In the January transfer window, he signs for Edinburgh City. Last game of the season, Edinburgh City vs Berwick as a title decider. Opens him up to accusations .

[Skol]

I used to go to Ladbrokes on ER (the old shop) pre match and it was quite usual to see youth team players from both sides in there (as well as a few ex pro's). This was before online accounts and stuff

I also remember Andy Goram who was captain when we got a penalty against anderlecht (I think, maybe another belgian team)at 0-0 run the length of the pitch to gtell Keith Houchen to take it. Houchen missed, we eventually went out when a goal then would have put us through. Oh and Goram lost his first goal scorer bet

[worcesterhibby]

I don't think there is anything wrong with betting on yourself to win.

There are so many other ways to bet these days though. Number of corners, time of first goal, red cards...plus there is actual score betting. A player could have money on us to win 1-0 and be asked to take a penalty with 2 mins to go, when we are 1-0 up.

[G B Young]

Was this Evening News front page really justified earlier this week?

https://www.facebook.com/edinburgh.evening.news/photos/a.1469517123106858.1073741847.227860217272561/1469517129773524/?type=3&theater

As far as I'm aware Horner never played for the first team and left the club years ago. He was certainly never a 'Hibs star'. I don't think the club deserves to be so strongly associated with this story.

[Green Badger]

Was this Evening News front page really justified earlier this week?

https://www.facebook.com/edinburgh.evening.news/photos/a.1469517123106858.1073741847.227860217272561/1469517129773524/?type=3&theater

As far as I'm aware Horner never played for the first team and left the club years ago. He was certainly never a 'Hibs star'. I don't think the club deserves to be so strongly associated with this story.

He did play a couple of games, but certainly never a Hibs Star. Unfortunately the standards at the EN have dropped significantly over the last few years.

[Geo_1875]

I may be overthinking it but to me it's unsporting and compromises the integrity of competition. Imagine every member of a team places a bet on their team winning - going by the "it will only make them try harder" school of thought then surely on some level that is not fair on the other team. It's also not fair on the other teams in the league for that matter, unless those bets are being placed in every game, which is unlikely to be the case.

Also, do you really want one of our players to be preoccupied with a bet when they are playing? What if we lose a derby and our players trudge off more devastated about the potential shedload of cash they've lost in a bet than the defeat itself? You could argue that a win bonus has a similar effect but that is contractually agreed and covers a period of time, rather than a specific game.

The whole thing is murky for me and I can entirely understand why there is the blanket ban. I appreciate that I am using extreme hypotheticals, and the practical impact on sporting outcomes is probably minimal, but anything that could potentially undermine integrity needs to be nipped in the bud IMO.

Everybody has a story about a jockey not riding to gain the best possible position and they are banned if caught. if a footballer doesn't try hard enough to achieve the best possible result for his club the authorities cannot censure him so they must remove the temptation of financial gain through betting. So no gambling on football while still playing makes sense.

[scotia44]

Gambling is the next big problem that society will have. Young men & women are now targets for the industry, Labours decision to open up the channels to make it easier (they thought) to collect tax from the industry only made it easier for the industry to hijack most sports (seen as the good guys) by sponsoring etc.

Bookmakers were never before allowed to advertise on TV and were never allowed to entice people with estimated returns yet if you watch TV particularly around a sporting event you are bombarded with offers, free bets, huge returns etc.

Public are led into believing that the national lottery helps good causes etc its still gambling!
Bradley Wiggins didn't win gold cos you played the lottery one Saturday the lottery funded the Olympic challenge on the back of others misery yet we are led to believe thats ok as its harmless as its helping good causes (why the other games, scratch cards etc then)

FREE bingo for like minded people the advert claims yet where before you had to pay to play now let you play for free and win free money (whats the angle there then):fishin:

Jump into bed with devil and nothing good comes of it sadly sport/society has jumped into the gambling industries bed.

Its a great to have a flutter if you can afford to lose as that's the important bit you will lose very rare do people win over a long period treat it as fun but it can be very dangerous for some people and in my opinion needs to be regulated once again.

The number of criminal cases now and hardship cases that use gambling as the reason has increased significantly there must be a connection with the relaxed attitude and the increase in the ability to wager on anything :agree:

[cabbageandribs1875]

totally agree about all the advertising now, makes gambling look all so cool and part of a day out for the lads, has the word 'acca' been added to the dictionary yet ? if not it soon will be