It could be a result of what has been going on in the United States or not but the fact remains that professional players in the UK will be under new regulations starting this month. The Professional Players Federation has recently issued a code on gambling. Affected by this new code is the activity of sports betting.
As with other countries (well, the US to be more specific), sports betting has experienced a surge in the recent years. However, concerns have been raised, time and again, regarding the integrity of sports which can be wagered on. Of course, one of the main (and legitimate I would say) concerns of many is the fact that professional athletes may be able to manipulate the outcomes of games they are involved in. As the case in the NBA showed us, it does not even have to be athletes. Referees and other sports officials may be put in a compromising position due to the insider knowledge that they have about the sport.
So under the Gambling Act, anyone – player, referee, trainers, managers, and even journalists! – can go to jail if found guilty of cheating or helping someone cheat in order to get favorable results in sports betting. The concern now is that there might be some interpretations of the Act that may not be clear to players and other concerned people. As a PPF spokesman said “A footballer could tell his mates that so-and-so is going to play well or score, and without realising it potentially be in breach of the law. We would like to see proper education on the implications of the act.”
We’ll see how this one turns out soon enough.