A report from The Athletic has surfaced detailing the betting culture rife within football. The shocking report shows the money some players are gambling away, in some cases on their own teams. The recent 8-month ban of Ivan Toney after the England international admitted 232 breaches of the Football Association’s Rule E8, which prohibits players from gambling on football, has highlighted the extent of the betting culture present in football.
Ivan Toney Gambling Addiction Highlights Problem in Football
SPECIAL REPORT: This is the extent of gambling’s grip on football dressing rooms.
We detail:
▪️ An obsession with horse-racing
▪️ Players openly betting on matches
▪️ Betting as a “form of escape”
▪️ Lack of impact banning sponsors will have— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) May 27, 2023
Toney Receives 8-Month Ban and Diagnosed with Gambling Addiction
Toney is facing an uncertain future after receiving an 8-month ban for repeatedly placing bets on matches involving his own team. The England international incredibly backed his own team to lose on 13 separate occasions. The Manchester United transfer target has begun his ban, which would have been three months longer, had he not been diagnosed with a gambling addiction. Betting on your own team to lose is punishable by a lifetime ban, something the Brentford striker was found guilty of.
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Toney‘s ban means he will not appear for Brentford until 2024, and ex-professionals and gambling support companies have spoken out in support of the striker. Scott Davies, the player/manager at Slough Town of National League South, has been open in the past about his battle with gambling addiction, estimating he lost around £250,000, almost his entire income over nine years due to gambling addiction. The Slough Town boss also works with Marc Williams for EPIC Risk Management. EPIC offers expert advice on how gambling-related harm can be prevented. Williams who faced gambling issues in his own life was full of empathy for the striker. “Toney is going to have to get support.” says Williams, “He has been taken away from the game he loves, that camaraderie with the lads, the goalscoring feeling.”
Gambling in Football
The report from The Athletic details how present the issue of gambling addiction is in football. Aside from the much-publicised banning of Toney, many footballers have had battles with gambling addiction throughout their careers and after. Ex-Arsenal and England star Paul Merson has been vocal about his struggles with gambling and heartbreakingly described the hardest part of his gambling addiction. “You lose time. Time just goes and that breaks my heart more than anything.”
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Many other players have struggled with gambling, including former Chelsea and Barcelona forward Eidur Gudjohnsen, who once described the feeling gambling gave him. “When I had that huge win, I had a feeling of elation, which I can only compare to the rush of scoring a goal”. Wigan Athletic and Sierra Leone international defender Steven Caulker has also spoken about his challenges with addiction and described betting as a “form of escape”. Caulker details in the report an incident that occurred the night before a game where he lost a substantial amount of money, which left him feeling “mentally drained and stressed.” It’s apparent that gambling addiction is a problem in football, and one that needs to be addressed.
If you are suffering from gambling addiction and need support, see the links below:
Gamblers Anonymous: https://www.gamblersanonymous.org.uk/
EPIC Risk Management: https://www.epicriskmanagement.com/support
