Lucas Paqueta: Betting rules footballers must keep

For the second time this season, the English Football Association has charged a Premier League player with betting offences. 

This time, the culprit is West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta, who has been charged by the FA for allegedly getting booked deliberately "for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market."

The Brazilian is one of the latest names among top-flight professionals to be named for bridging betting rules. 

Earlier this year, Italy international Sandro Tonali was handed a two-month suspended ban for 50 breaches of the FA’s betting rules. The Newcastle midfielder was already serving a ten-month ban for a similar offence when the FA banned him for two months.

But Tonali and Paqueta are not the first players to get into hot water for betting on games. Last year, Brentford striker Ivan Toney was handed an eight-month ban for 232 breaches of the Football Association's betting rules. 

Before the above-mentioned trio, Andres Townsend, Daniel Sturridge, Kieran Trippier, Martin Demichelis, Cameron Jerome, and Kynan Isaac have all had their fair share of charges and bans by the Football Association.

While Paqueta has not yet been given a ban or fine, there are indications that if found guilty of bridging FA betting rules, he could face a ten-year ban and a hefty fine. 

The prospect of that happening is scary, as it would essentially end the player's footballing career.

The Brazilian is only 26 years old and is in the prime of his game. He is one of West Ham's best players and was on Manchester City's radar. 

However, the situation around his future has discouraged clubs from circling for him. If he is found guilty of the four charges against him, he'll be in serious trouble.

According to the FA, Paqueta broke their betting rules in the Premier League game against Leicester City on 12 November 2022, as well as the 2023 fixtures against Aston Villa on 12 March, Leeds United on 21 May, and Bournemouth on 12 August last year. 

But what exactly did the Brazilian allegedly do in these games that warrants a ten-year ban, as is being quoted?

How come others can bet about football but not footballers? And what are the rules that guide betting for footballers?

In this article, we look at several things about football betting for footballers.

Can footballers bet?

Although betting on sporting events is one of the most lucrative markets, football players are not allowed to bet. 

Why can't footballers bet?

The simple logic behind this ban on betting is that it will jeopardise the integrity of the game. People buy Premier League tickets and other football tickets because they are convinced the game is not fixed or pre-arranged. 

So, since footballers determine the outcome of the game, allowing them the opportunity to wager on it will mean that they can deliberately compromise the results and occurrences in the game to win some money. No one wants that!

To ensure that players are kept honest and preserve the integrity of football, the English FA and several other football associations have introduced strict rules on gambling. 

Gambling Regulations 

The English Football Association introduced strict gambling rules for players in the 2014/15 season.

These rules apply not only to players but to everyone directly involved in football, including managers, match officials and club staff. 

The rule stipulates strict punishment for anyone who bridges the rule, with a worldwide ban on all sporting activities and a hefty fine part of the punishment for offenders.

As per those guidelines, pro footballers and everyone else in the category of persons covered by the rules are not allowed to wager on any football match or competition anywhere in the world.

The rule also prohibits betting on any other football-related matter, such as transfers, managerial hiring and firing or passing inside information to instruct someone to place a bet on your behalf or for their own benefit.

According to the FA, a player will be sanctioned if he is found guilty of passing inside information–any information that the player is aware of due to their position in the game that is not publicly available. 

A player can be considered to have passed inside information by word of mouth, writing, email, or even social media posts.

The rules also state that a player may breach the Rules if they pass inside information on to someone else, even if you did not know that they would use it to bet.

Apart from sanctions on using inside information for betting, the FA also prohibits match fixing—arranging in advance the conduct or result of a match or competition or any event within a game or competition.

Though football players are banned from betting on football, they can bet on other sports. 

Meanwhile, the rules don't apply to those who play amateur football, as the betting markets don't often include them. 

Example of Footballers Sanctioned for Betting 

We have already mentioned the names of players who were fined or banned for betting activities. However, in this section, we consider their offences and how they relate to the FA betting rules.

Kieran Trippier and Daniel Sturridge–banned for passing inside information 

In 2020, former Liverpool and Chelsea man Daniel Sturridge was handed a four-month ban and a £150,000 fine after being found guilty of providing his brother with insider information on a potential move to Sevilla in 2018. This information was used for betting. 

Although Sturridge didn't actually place the bet himself, his actions warranted a ban and a fine as they were against betting rules.

Like Sturridge, Kieran Trippier was also banned for trading inside information even though he was unaware it would be used for betting purposes. 

It happened in the summer of 2019 when the current Newcastle man was to leave Tottenham for Atlético Madrid. 

Before joining the Spanish club, he revealed his destination to his friends in a WhatsApp group, and one friend used the information to win serious cash. 

Trippier was found guilty, banned from football for ten weeks, and fined £70,000 despite not even being aware that his friend had made the bet.

Andros Townsend, Martin Demichelis and Cameron Jerome–direct football betting 

Crystal Palace’s Andros Townsend, Manchester City's Martin Demichelis and Stoke City's Cameron Jerome were all fined and handed varying bans for betting on football games.

However, their sanctions were not very severe, as the FA ruled that they couldn't have directly impacted the games they bet on as they were not part of the game.

Ivan Toney, Sandro Tonali and Joey Barton—betting in club games 

Unlike the trio of Demichelis, Townsend and Jerome, Ivan Toney, Sandro Tonali and Joey Barton placed several bets on football games, including games involving their respective clubs.

For example, the FA revealed that Toney placed 29 bets on matches his own team was involved in. The investigation revealed that 13 of those 29 bets were on his own team to lose during a period of seven months between 2017 and 2018.

However, the striker didn't play in any of the matches where he bet against his side, but it was still a crime according to FA betting rules. The Englishman also bet on himself to score on 15 occasions.

Meanwhile, Joey Barton reportedly placed 1,260 bets on football matches over ten years. During the investigation, the FA discovered that Barton placed bets on 42 matches involving teams that he was registered with at the time. Although he didn't play in those matches, his actions still broke the rules.

Earlier this season, Tonali was handed a ten-month ban for placing bets on games involving his former team, AC Milan.

Kynan Isaac

The craziest story in betting on Premier League history involved former Reading player Kynan Isaac, who was banned from football for 12 years in 2022.

The defender was charged with deliberately getting yellow carded while at Stratford, which he told his friends to bet on. 

The offence landed him an initial 10-year ban, which was later extended to 12 years for other offences, including failing to cooperate with the investigation.

In summary, although footballers are prohibited from participating in any professional football-related betting, they are allowed to place bets on other things. 

However, the FA reminds members to bet with caution, as studies have shown that professional athletes are more likely to develop problematic habits from betting.