Paqueta looked sharp and even scored a penalty equalizer in the game against Aston Villa, which Villa ended up winning 2-1.

In May, the Brazil star?was charged by England’s Football Association (FA) with deliberately seeking to “receive a card from the referee for the improper purpose of affecting the betting market.”

The seriousness of these charges is unprecedented in English football and, if proven, they are potentially career-ending for the 26-year-old.

But sources who spoke to The Times of London recently suggested Paqueta is likely to be eligible to play for West Ham for most, if not all, of this season.

The player denies the charges and will be permitted to play until the disciplinary process is complete. Such is the complexity of the case that it’s likely to drag on until late 2025, the sources said.

What is Paqueta Accused of?

The FA launched an investigation in August 2023 following reports of suspicious betting patterns around an injury-time yellow card Paqueta received in West Ham’s draw at Bournemouth on Aug 12, 2023.

The probe later expanded to include bookings received in three additional games — against Leicester City on Nov. 12, 2022, Aston Villa on March 12, 2023, and Leeds United on May 21, 2023.

Some of the bets were placed in Duque de Caxias, a city on Brazil’s Guanabara Bay. Paqueta was born and raised on Paqueta Island in Guanabara Bay. His real name is Lucas Tolentino Coelho de Lima, but he adopted “Paqueta” as a tribute to his birthplace.

Other bets were placed with West Ham sponsor Betway, which doesn’t take bets in Brazil. Paqueta hasn’t been charged with placing bets himself, but people close to him are suspected of doing so.

City Deal Dead

Last summer, Paqueta was lined up for a high-profile move to EPL champion Manchester City in a deal that was reportedly worth $85 million. The deal imploded with news of the FA investigation.

Paqueta has vowed to “fight with every breath to clear my name.”

The post Why is Lucas Paqueta Still Playing for West Ham Despite Spot-Fixing Charges? appeared first on Casino.org.

Felix Zwayer was banned from soccer for six months as a result of the scandal, which happened two decades ago in his native Germany.

Zwayer was found to have received €300 from notorious match-fixer, former referee Robert Hoyzer, to “avoid critical situations” for one team in a May 2004 German Cup game, according to a German Football Association (DFB) investigation. Zwayer was the linesman in the game between SV Wuppertal and Werder Bremen, while Hoyzer was the first official.

Bellingham Beef

However, the DFB could find no evidence that Zwayer had directly manipulated the game. His punishment was lenient because of his contribution to the investigation of the case. He was one of a group of whistleblowers – pun intended – who approached the DFB with concerns about Hoyzer in late 2004.

That Zwayer accepted money from Hoyzer was hidden from public knowledge until a decade later when German newspaper?Der Zeit?published an exposé.

Wednesday’s match may be particularly awkward given the history between Zwayer and England’s talismanic midfielder Jude Bellingham.

The DFB fined the player €40K for the remark.

Zwayer will be hoping the tomorrow’s game passes without any such controversy. Make a decision that leaves England aggrieved and he will undoubtedly face the wrath of the British tabloids.

What Happened to Hoyzer?

Hoyzer fell under suspicion after officiating a match between the Bundesliga’s Hamburg and non-league minnows Paderborn in August 2004 in the first round of the German Cup. Few gave Paderborn a chance, but the team ran out an unlikely winner after Hoyzer awarded it two phantom penalties and sent off Hamburg’s Belgian forward Emile Mpenza.

When suspicious betting patterns were reported, authorities launched a criminal investigation. Hoyzer admitted he had manipulated several games on behalf of a Croatian gambling syndicate operated by three brothers, Ante Sapina, Milan Sapina, and Filip Sapina. The brothers won €500K from betting on the Paderborn game alone.

Hoyzer was sentenced to two years and five months in prison and banned for soccer for life.

The post Euro 2024 Semi-Final Ref Once Accepted Cash from Notorious Match Fixer appeared first on Casino.org.

Bredice, 33, was a performance analyst for current EPL champion City from 2013 to 2019 before leaving to take a position with Belgian side Anderlecht under former City star Vincent Kompany. In 2022, he joined Burnley as lead performance analyst.

Burnley said in a statement that Bredice “no longer worked for the club after being reminded of his responsibilities.”

The analyst admitted placing 456 bets, the majority during his six-year tenure at City, some of which were on his own team to lose.

Focus on Transfers

The FA determined that 12 of the 456 bets were made using inside information, which Bredice denied. They were primarily focused on the transfer of players to and from City.

Bredice was also fined ￡4.5K for breaching FA betting rules. Since 2014, under FA Rule E8, soccer players and anyone connected to the game are banned from betting on games worldwide and from sharing information for wagering purposes.

The alleged insider bets represented 2.6% of the total number placed by Bredice but 20% of the overall amount staked by him.

In one bet, he placed ￡515 that a certain player would sign for City. The FA noted that he made the bet the morning after a staff party, concluding it was likely that the information was discussed at the party. The name of the player is redacted in tribunal documents.

Election Scandal

The issue of insider betting has been thrust into the spotlight in the UK by the country’s recent general election. That’s after the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) began investigating several senior Conservative Party officials for placing insider bets on the timing of the election.

The date was known only to a select group before its announcement by now-former prime minister Rishi Sunak.

The resulting scandal contributed to the Conservative defeat on July 4, and an avalanche victory by Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.

The post Ex-Man City Analyst Banned from Soccer for Insider Betting appeared first on Casino.org.

The far-reaching enforcement targeted two websites, wm88 and x-stand, as well as other operations, according to khaosodenglish.com, a Thai news outlet.

The two sports betting websites had revenue of 1.4 billion baht (US $38.1M) between January and June alone, according to government estimates.

During a search of a Thong Lor residence, located in Bangkok, police seized 13,830,000 baht (US $376,460), as well as $3,200 in US currency.

Authorities also seized such luxury vehicles as a Bentley, a Mercedes-Benz, and a GWM Tank SUV, as well as confiscated several residences.

The total value of assets was 22,580,000 baht (US $614,672), officials said.

Xiang Zhang, 42, and Zhang Huiqing, 37, both of China, were arrested. The couple told authorities their resources didn’t come from gambling but proceeds from selling a Chinese advertising firm, according to the news report. They also invest in cryptocurrency.

Another search took place at a condo in Phrom Phong, a neighborhood in Bangkok. Assets seized there totaled 287,396,713 baht (US $7,823,513).

Jun Xia, 36, a Chinese national, and four Thai nationals, were charged following the Phrom Phong raid.

The charges against the key suspects are illegal electronic gambling and money laundering, according to the report.

Further arrests are possible.

1,826 Arrested Recently

The latest arrests follow prior charges that took place between June 14 and Thursday.

Of the 248 suspects arrested, 28 were organizing the illegal online activity. The other 220 were gambling. Sixty-two illegal sports betting websites were shuttered.

The total amount being wagered was 1,400,150,007 baht (US $38M).

In addition, illegal gambling was discovered at various brick-and-mortar gaming dens. It led to the apprehension of 1,578 suspects.

Of these, 1,503 were players. Sixty-five were bookies and 10 were runners.

The sports betting cases were investigated by the official Technology Crime Suppression Division and the Technology Crime Investigation Bureau.

Prison Possible

When announcing the arrests and seizures, officials warned that gambling is against the law and those arrested will be prosecuted in courts. That includes those who organize the operations, promote the betting, and those who gamble.

If found guilty, defendants face up to two years in prison and may be forced to pay a fine. Additional penalties can be imposed if it turns out children were involved in the gambling.

The post Thailand Authorities Arrest Hundreds, Seize Millions From Illegal Betting on Euro 2024 Football appeared first on Casino.org.

In the lead-up to the game between Portugal and the Czech Republic (Czechia) at the Leipzig Stadium in Germany, BetMGM alerted Casino.org that a UK woman who had participated in its free-to-play Golden Goals game was in for a shot at the big prize.

The London-based player had already correctly predicted five out of six Euros games: Spain 3 – Croatia 0; Italy 2 – Albania 1; Poland – 1 Netherlands 2; Serbia 0 – England 1, and Austria 0 – France 1.

If Portugal could beat the Czech Republic 3-1, which was the exact score posted the last time the two teams met in the same competition in 2008, the unnamed player would be the first to win BetMGM’s Golden Goals promotion. The promo ran throughout the 2023/34 EPL season without a winner before being transferred to the Euros.

Bet Still On

Ronaldo’s Portugal is one of the tournament favorites, but they initially struggled to capitalize on a dominant first half in Leipzig.

The 11/1 BetMGM offered on a 3-1 Portugal win at the beginning of the game would have drifted substantially at halftime. That’s after Czech keeper Jind?ich Staněk made a string of saves from Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, while Portuguese winger Rafael Le?o also went close.

Luká? Provod’s 63rd-minute super-strike – one of the team’s few attempts on goal – stunned Portugal, but at least it meant the bet was still “on,” albeit remotely. Essentially, Portugal had 30 minutes to score three goals.

Then, with minutes left, Diego Jota thought he’d narrowed those odds even further when he reacted quickly to a Ronaldo header that had bounced back off the post.

Jota put the ball in the net, but a VAR replay showed Ronaldo’s elbow had been offside by a matter of inches.

White-Knuckle Ride

Portugal snatched a winner in the 92nd minute through substitute Francisco Concei??o, leaving a white-knuckle final two minutes for the BetMGM customer.

Portugal is currently the fourth favorite at 6-1 to win the tournament after England (4-1), France (4-1), and home nation Germany (5-1).

The post BetMGM Bettor Was Two Minutes Away From $2.5M in Portugal-Czechia Clash appeared first on Casino.org.

Neymar is one of the world’s richest sports superstars. The Al Hilal Saudi Football Club is paying the 32-year-old €150 million (US$163 million) a year and paid a €90 million transfer fee to his former club, Paris Saint-Germain, of France’s Ligue 1 division.

During last weekend’s boxing match in Saudi Arabi between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in which the underdog Usyk upset Fury, Neymar showed off his latest jewelry purchase — a timepiece from Jacob & Co. that features a spinning roulette wheel and a rolling pill.

$280K Watch?

While posing for photos, Neymar was enthused to show off his Jacob & Co. watch. Jacob & Co. is a New York City-based luxury watchmaker.

The roulette watch Neymar wore retails for $280,000. Only 101 were made with 18K rose gold trim and “curved anti-reflective sapphire crystals on the face.”

Neymar joins a laundry list of celebrities and sports stars who are Jacob & Co. customers, including David and Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, Mariah Carey, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Sofia Vergara, and Sean “Puffy” Combs. Drake, another celebrity who enjoys the casino, is additionally a Jacob & Co. client.

Neymar has a history of spending lavishly on the things he enjoys, including casinos.

A year ago this month, Neymar skipped Paris Saint-Germain’s title match, citing an injury, for the F1 Monaco Grand Prix. While at the race, Neymar ventured into the historic Monte Carlo Casino to compete in a poker tournament. He later posted a video to his Instagram account showing him playing online roulette.

Two months before visiting Monaco, Neymar streamed his online casino play where he lost more than €1 million. While that would devastate most people, Neymar was seen laughing as his losses piled up to more than seven digits.

After ponying up tens of thousands of dollars to enter numerous live poker tournaments, online poker player tracking database The Hendon Mob shows Neymar has just $32,131 in live poker earnings.

Neymar’s best finish came in 2018 at the R$7,000 (US$1,362) No Limit Hold’em – High Rollers Event during the Brazilian Series of Poker in Sao Paulo. Neymar finished 6th among 288 entries to win $21,072.

Neymar Speculation

Though the odds are presumably long that Inter Miami has the financial capabilities to bring Neymar to South Florida, the global superstar in late March was spotted hanging in Miami with the Beckhams. David Beckham is a co-owner of the Major League Soccer club.

Beckham was instrumental in bringing Lionel Messi to Miami last year. Messi, however, is in the later stages of his career.

It’s widely thought that Neymar could join Miami in the coming years, but his exorbitant transfer fee from Al Hilal will presumably keep him in Saudi Arabia until his two-year, €300 million contract expires in 2025.

The post Neymar Sports Expensive Watch With Moving Roulette Wheel appeared first on Casino.org.

The seriousness of the charges are unprecedented in the English Premier League.

In a brief statement, Paqueta said he “denied the charges in their entirety,” adding that he would “fight with every breath to clear my name.”

If found guilty, Paqueta’s career could be over. He is just 26 years old.

FA Probe

An FA investigation was triggered last summer by reports of suspicious betting patterns around an injury-time yellow card Paqueta received in West Ham’s draw at Bournemouth on Aug. 12, 2023.

It subsequently expanded to include bookings received in three additional games against Leicester City on Nov. 12, 2022, Aston Villa on March 12, 2023, and Leeds United on May 21, 2023.

Manchester City Deal Sunk

News of the investigation torpedoed Paqueta’s planned transfer to Manchester City in the summer of 2023. The current English Premier League champion had agreed a deal in principle to sign the up-and-coming star. Many expected the deal to be revived this summer if Paqueta were cleared.

Some of the suspicious bets were placed in Duque de Caxias, a city on Brazil’s Guanabara Bay. Paqueta hails from Paqueta Island, a tiny land mass in Guanabara Bay. His real name is Lucas Tolentino Coelho de Lima, but he adopted “Paqueta” as a tribute to his birthplace.

Other sketchy bets were placed with West Ham’s jersey sponsor Betway, which doesn’t take bets from Brazil.

Paqueta hasn’t been charged with placing bets himself, but people close to him are suspected of doing so, The Times of London recently reported.

He is essentially accused of spot-fixing. This is where minute aspects of the game, such as yellow cards, are manipulated by a single player, rather than a larger conspiracy to fix the actual result.

Spot-fixing at the elite level of English soccer is unheard of. It’s unclear why Paqueta, who earns around $9 million a year at West Ham, would agree to risk wrecking his career just as it was about to explode. The player would have earned significantly higher wages had he made the move to City.

Charges Unprecedented

While several Premier League players have been caught up in gambling scandals in recent years – usually for betting on games — none have been accused of manipulating the action. If Paqueta is found guilty, it would be unprecedented at this level.

It comes as major leagues in the US have expressed concern about the potential for spot-fixing in the new sports betting markets.

Supporters of sports betting in the US, including NBA commissioner Adam Silver, argue that regulation means match-fixing is detected because licensed operators report suspicious betting patterns, thereby safeguarding the integrity of the game.

Detractors argue that illegal street corner bookies do not offer in-play bets on the performance of individual players.

The post Lucas Paqueta Faces Serious, Potentially Career-Ending Spot-Fixing Charges appeared first on Casino.org.

City agreed to a deal in principle with the midfield playmaker’s current club, West Ham, in August 2023, but that was torpedoed by news that Paqueta was facing a probe into betting breaches by English soccer’s governing body, the Football Association (FA).

City chiefs balked after hearing the investigation centered on claims of suspicious betting patterns in Brazil around yellow cards shown to Paqueta. But they remain interested in signing the player should he be exonerated.

Sketchy Bets

The FA investigation is believed to be focused on a yellow card Paqueta received for a late challenge on Aston Villa’s John Mcguin on March 12, 2023.

Sportsbooks reported that an unusual number of bets were placed on the player getting booked in that game.

Meanwhile, some of the bets were also placed with Betway, West Ham’s jersey sponsor, which doesn’t take bets from Brazil.

Paqueta hasn’t been accused of placing any of the bets, but those close to him are being investigated, according to The Times. He denies any wrongdoing, knowledge, or involvement.

West Ham in Limbo

The West Ham board is also anxious for the investigation to conclude because the uncertainty is affecting the team’s transfer plans for the summer. The cash from the potential sale would swell its war chest in the summer market and redefine its transfer strategy.

Meanwhile, a protracted investigation could leave the team scrambling to find a replacement for Paqueta if it concludes late in the transfer window. The FA has refused to comment on the status of the case.

Last year, the Brazilian was interviewed at least twice and agreed to allow investigators access to his phone.

The practice is almost unheard of in elite soccer because stratospheric wages remove the financial incentive.

If found guilty, Paqueta could face a lifelong ban from the sport.

The post West Ham’s Paqueta Wants End to Betting Probe to Revive $90M Man City Move appeared first on Casino.org.

While police did not identify the players or the team involved, Australian media has named three players for McCarthur FC, a team based in southwestern Sydney.

They are 33-year-old team captain Ulises Dávila, a Mexican national, 27-year-old Clayton Lewis, a New Zealand native, and 32-year-old Kearyn Baccus, who is South African. All three have played for their respective countries at some level.

Organized Crime

New South Wales’ Organized Crime Squad Gaming Unit began investigating the players in December 2023 after receiving a tip off from the UK Gambling Commission. Investigators said Friday they discovered a “senior player” was being paid by a South American gambling syndicate to organize yellow cards to occur during games.

This player was in contact with a “controller” – an organized crime figure based in South America.

The 1-1 draw that played out between Macarthur and Melbourne Victory on November 24 was one of the games that allegedly was manipulated. Macarthur received two yellow cards in that game, one of which was shown to Dávila.

Another, played two weeks later against Sydney FC, saw four yellows for Macarthur players, including Dávila, Lewis, and Baccus.

Police alleged the group attempted to fix the number of yellows in two more games but were unsuccessful.

“In relation to one of the matches, there’s multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars being paid out [in gambling winnings],” Det Supt Peter Faux.

A-League Turmoil

Macarthur FC said in a short statement on Friday that it was “shocked” by the developments.

“Integrity of our game is a foundation pillar and we will work closely with all relevant agencies on this matter,” the club added.

Police charged a 33-year-old man Friday with two counts of engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event, and two counts of engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event. A 32-year-old and 27-year-old were charged with engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome of an event.

The 33-year-old is due to appear in court June 24.

The post Australian Soccer Players Accused of Match-Fixing for South American Crime Group appeared first on Casino.org.

UEFA’s appointment of Felix Zwayer has raised questions about the referee’s suitability to take charge of such a high-profile game. Zwayer was banned from soccer for six months as a result of the scandal, which erupted in his native Germany, back in 2005.

In January of that year, Zwayer’s fellow referee Robert Hoyzer confessed to fixing and betting on games. Hoyzer, who mainly oversaw matches in Germany’s second tier, admitted he had accepted bribes to manipulate games from a gambling syndicate with links to organized crime.

Phantom Penalties

When Hamburg traveled to non-league Paderborn in August 2004 in the first round of the German Cup, few expected anything but a victory for the Bundesliga team. But when Hoyzer awarded the underdog two phantom penalties and sent off Hamburg’s Belgian forward Emile Mpenza, the game would end up a 4-2 win for the home team.

Despite being among the group of referees that reported its suspicions about Hoyzer, Zwayer was also implicated. According to the subsequent investigation by the DFB, Zwayer accepted €300 from Hoyzer before a game between SV Wuppertal and Werder Bremen in May 2004. Zwayer was a linesman in the game, which Hoyzer was refereeing.

The payoff was for Zwayer to “avoid critical situations for Wuppertaler SV as an assistant referee,” according to the DFB.

Swept Under Carpet

However, the sporting body could find no evidence that Zwayer had directly manipulated the game and acknowledged his contribution to the investigation of the case. He received a six-month ban from soccer.

Hoyzer was banned for life from having anything to do with the sport and was handed a prison sentence of two years and five months.

The allegation flared up again in 2021 when English midfielder Jude Bellingham, then playing for Borussia Dortmund, criticized Zwayer’s performance after a game between his team and Bayern Munich.

“If you give a referee, who has, you know, match-fixed before, the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect?” Bellingham asked.

The player was fined €40K by the DFB for the remark.

The post German Ref Embroiled in 2005 Match-Fixing Case to Oversee UEFA Semi-Final appeared first on Casino.org.

Betfred announced Monday that it would pay out on all bets for Manchester City to win the league. That’s despite the defending champions leading both Arsenal and Liverpool by just two points with a total of 18 still up for grabs.

The promised payout, which exceeds ￡750K (US$932K), was announced after a potential watershed moment last weekend. The level is so high in the EPL these days – and the table so finely poised — that failure to win every single game is a calamity for any title chaser.

Fine Margins

First, Liverpool, which has led the table for much of the season, stunned fans by losing at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Next up, Arsenal had the chance to pull a point clear of City and three ahead of Liverpool just hours later by beating fourth-place Aston Villa, again at home.

Arsenal tired noticeably in the second half and conceded twice late in the game for an unexpected loss.

Betfred’s implication is that Arsenal and Liverpool, amid a grueling “run in” to the end of the season, have simply run out of steam, while City has just moved into fifth gear.

With six titles in the last 10 years, the reigning champion has a habit of hitting peak form just when it matters. City comfortably beat Luton Town 5-1 on Saturday.

“I watched both the Liverpool and Arsenal games yesterday and, for me, it’s game over because Manchester City are going to win the Premier League title this year. There’s no danger to that,” said Betfred’s 81-year-old founder Fred Done in a statement.

Marketing Stunt

Done pioneered the betting industry marketing stunt of “paying out early” on major sporting events. And while it might have landed Betfred some valuable PR over the years in the form of free column inches, it hasn’t always worked out.

This time around, there is not one, but two teams, chasing the league leader, and they’re separated by just two points — and City has some tough games ahead. Irrespective of Betfred’s marketing ploy, neutrals will hope Liverpool and Arsenal chase the Citizens to the wire to keep this exciting season alive.

The post Betfred Pays Out Early on Man City for EPL After Liverpool, Arsenal Slip Up appeared first on Casino.org.

The bombshell was dropped on Friday by Sam McClure, a sports reporter for Australian radio station 3AW, who said on air that “certain information got home to loved ones that didn’t go down too well.”

No activities were specified — though vivid imaginations will doubtlessly prove useful. Nor was it revealed which casinos, or other legal-in-Nevada establishments, were involved. It’s not even known which members of the team starred in this unwanted, real-life sequel to “The Hangover.”

However, McClure said it was bad enough to cause “relationships to end between players and partners.”

Other sources have reported a tense team crisis meeting worthy of “Ted Lasso,” and that some team members are no longer even talking.

The Australian press squarely blames the scandal for causing the Lions, one of the best teams in the Australian Football (Footy) League, to lose their first three games this year — despite nearly winning the grand final last year against the Collingwood Magpies.

However, McClure said the team “are adamant” that the news “has had no impact” on their performance on the field this season.

Reactions to the scandal from the team’s fans has so far been mixed.

“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!” wrote a commenter below the Daily Mail story who identified himself as Tim Barnes.

“Consequences,” countered “Namaste.”

“If you are married or have a partner and a family, then you should never be on a boys night out anywhere, certainly not half way around the world,” added “One Flag.” “That is if you have a brain and the slightest bit of compassion for another human being.

The post Aussie Football Team Suffers Vegas Hangover appeared first on Casino.org.

In October, the player was banned from soccer for 10 months, just four months after his high-profile move to Newcastle. That’s after he admitted to betting on games, including those he participated in, via illegal gambling sites, a violation of Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and English Football Association (FA) rules.

Newcastle paid ￡55million (US$70 million) for the 23-year-old in the summer, the highest ever for an Italian soccer player. But club executives might have thought twice if they knew he came with baggage, or at least demanded a discount. The club has refused to comment on whether it intends to take legal action against Milan.

Pioli told the media Tuesday he had no inkling of any problem and still believes Newcastle got a “great deal.”

No, I didn’t know anything about Sandro’s problem,” Pioli said. “He was polite, respected, and gave respect to others, and was a sensible boy. Even if I think I have a close, open relationship with a player, I don’t only talk about football. But what they do outside, I don’t know everything about them.”

Pioli was speaking at a press conference ahead of Milan’s Champions League clash at Newcastle on Wednesday night.

Organized Crime Connection?

Tonali’s gambling habits were uncovered during an investigation by Italian police into illegal online gambling with links to organized crime.

Investigators questioned Tonali and fellow Italian international Nicolo Zaniolo at Italy’s training camp on October 12 as the team prepared for a crucial Euro 2024 qualifier against England.

Zaniolo, who plays for the EPL’s Aston Villa, denied betting on games. He did admit to playing online poker and blackjack, although he told police he didn’t know the sites he used were illegal.

‘Traumatic’ Investigation

Both players were sent home from the training camp and haven’t played for their country since. Italy’s head coach Luciano Spalletti described the experience as “traumatic.”

Also in October, Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli was banned for seven months?as part of a settlement with the FIGC after breaching rules surrounding betting on matches.

The post AC Milan Coach Denies Knowledge of Sandro Tonali Gambling Problem appeared first on Casino.org.

Speaking recently with Bloomberg, the 48-year-old former Manchester United, Real Madrid, and LA Galaxy star and the husband to Victoria Beckham said Southern Nevada makes sense for MLS. Beckham said the success of the NHL Vegas Golden Knights, which have been strongly embraced by locals and went to the Stanley Cup in just their second year and won it in their fifth season, shows there’s an appetite for home team sports.

It’s a real opportunity. We’ve seen the hockey team come in and do incredibly well,” Beckham said while in town during the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

“F1 coming here is a huge statement,” Beckham continued. “People are always going to have fun in Vegas, but for it to become a big sporting market, I think F1’s an important step.”

Beckham partnered with Miami billionaire Jorge Mas, whose wealth was created through his construction and engineering company, for his Miami MLS team. The league awarded Beckham and Mas an expansion team in early 2018.

Raiders Struggling

The days of Las Vegas being mostly about gambling are long gone. Along with conventions, entertainment, and an assortment of family-friendly attractions, Southern Nevada has in recent years transformed into a major sports town.

The NHL expanded its league to Las Vegas in 2017 with the Golden Knights. That coincided with the WNBA San Antonio Stars relocating to Las Vegas to become the Aces ahead of their 2018 season.

NFL owners approved the relocation of the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas in March 2017. Raiders owner Mark Davis, with $750 million in city tax revenue, then built the $1.9 billion Allegiant Stadium just west of the Strip near Mandalay Bay.

The Raiders played their first season in Las Vegas amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21. While Las Vegas has strongly embraced the Golden Knights, and to a lesser degree, the Aces, the Raiders have struggled to catch on.

The Raiders are 24-26 since moving to Las Vegas. They’ve made the playoffs only once.

Allegiant Stadium is often filled with more fans of the visiting team than the Raiders. Attendance overall is poor, as Allegiant ranks 30th of the 32 NFL stadiums in total attendance.

Though the Raiders haven’t exactly caught on in Las Vegas, that didn’t stop the MLB Oakland A’s from following them to Nevada. MLB owners earlier this month approved the team’s request to relocate to Las Vegas. The team will build an MLB stadium where the Tropicana currently stands.

MLS Rumors Persist

Beckham isn’t the first MLS official to express support for a Las Vegas franchise. In late 2021, MLS Commissioner Doon Garber said while fielding questions after his State of the League address that Las Vegas is attractive.

We’re excited about the market,” Garber said of Las Vegas. “I’m blown away by what’s going on in Las Vegas, and I’ve been in the sports business world for a really long time.”

Las Vegas is already home to a professional soccer club, though the Las Vegas Lights FC play in the USL Championship league.

The post David Beckham Likes Las Vegas for Major League Soccer Expansion appeared first on Casino.org.

The journeyman center-back is currently without a club and has been pursuing a new career as a TV and radio pundit. On Monday, he took to LinkedIn to complain about his treatment at the hands of Bet365.

I finally landed a TV job, or so I thought I had,” he wrote. “Do you know what came back today? Bet365 (the TV company’s main sponsors) have rejected my profile due to them being ‘nervous about some of the positive work I have done around problem gambling.’

“People often say to me that it’s great that players can now open up about their struggles. Can they really? I certainly wouldn’t encourage it.”

Blighted Career

Caulker, who has played for Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, QPR, and Cardiff City, has been open about the struggles with gambling, alcohol, and depression that have blighted his career. Last April, he told ESPN he’d had a problem with gambling since he was 15, and has been in and out of rehab since his teens.

Caulker said his demons followed him around throughout his career, leading to squandered opportunities and a failure to reach his potential as an athlete.

The defender played for England in 2012 and scored a goal on his debut. But it was his first and last game for his country. His promising career never really took off. He is currently the captain of Sierra Leone, a team he qualifies to play for through his paternal grandfather.

‘Negative Experiences’

In a statement released to The Guardian, Bet365 said that Caulker had applied to appear on an unnamed video series sponsored solely by the gambling company on an online video platform, which was produced by one of its sports publishing partners.

“During the guest approval process, we became aware of Mr Caulker’s own negative experiences with gambling, which he has spoken about openly,” the betting giant said.

We welcome the excellent work Mr Caulker has done to raise awareness of problem gambling – however, as a betting company, we felt it would be inappropriate for Mr Caulker to appear on a Bet365-sponsored series of this type. In explaining these circumstances, we regret that our position was misstated by our media partner to Mr Caulker.”

Fortunately, punditry isn’t a long-term goal for Caulker, who is at the beginning stages of attaining his coaching badges and plans to become a manager. He told ESPN he believes his experiences as an addict will make him a better coach because he understands the pressures young players may be going through.

“I look back on football – my playing career – with a lot of regrets, and I don’t want to have the same as a manager,” he said.

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Tonali was banned on Thursday by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) for violating prohibitions of betting on matches. Italy’s ban applies globally across matches sanctioned by FIFA and UEFA, meaning Tonali will miss the rest of Newcastle’s 2023-24 season. Tonali will also be ineligible for next summer’s Euro 2024 tournament should Italy qualify.

Tonali’s agent says the Italian footballer is battling a gambling addiction. He admitted to betting on various soccer games, including on games he participated in while playing for AC Milan in Serie A.

Newcastle acquired Tonali in July for approximately €70 million (US$74 million). The transfer was the richest deal in football history for an Italian player.

Plea Deal

The Italian Football Federation says Tonali’s 10-month suspension could be extended to 18 months if he fails to uphold his end of the plea deal.

The agreement includes Tonali undergoing an eight-month counseling plan to address his gambling addiction. Tonali will then make himself available for a minimum of 16 public engagements to discuss the dangers of violating rules prohibiting betting before youth football players and amateur sports associations.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office will monitor his compliance,” an FIGC statement explained. “In the event of a violation of this agreement, [the Prosecutor’s Office] will take measures within its jurisdiction. These measures would include termination of the agreement and the continuation of disciplinary proceedings before the judicial body of sporting justice.”

Tonali’s betting violations could have resulted in a three-year ban from the sport, but his cooperation prompted the Italian Football Federation to agree to a plea deal.

Tonali is one of three Italian footballers who have recently come under investigation for violating betting rules.

Earlier this month, Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli was handed a seven-month ban for betting on Serie A games.

The scandal includes Tonali’s international teammate Nicolo Zaniolo, whose ongoing case is ongoing. The Aston Villa midfielder/right winger has denied betting on football but has conceded to participating in other gambling activities.

High-Profile Cases

Tonali is among the biggest names in football to have become involved in a betting scandal, but he certainly isn’t the first star to receive a ban for prohibited gambling.

In May, Brentford striker Ivan Toney was suspended for eight months by the English Football Association for more than 200 incidences of violating betting rules between 2017 and 2021. He was also fined ￡50,000 (US$61,000).

Joey Barton, a former midfielder for Manchester City and Newcastle, was banned for 18 months in 2017 after admitting to placing over 1,200 soccer bets during the previous decade. The sentence was reduced to five months on appeal.

The post Newcastle Star Sandro Tonali Suspended After Reaching Plea in Betting Scandal appeared first on Casino.org.

A rising star of Italian soccer, the 22-year-old’s gambling habits were uncovered as part of a police investigation into illegal online gambling with links to organized crime. Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Zaniolo are also embroiled. They missed Italy’s 3-1 defeat to England Tuesday night after police turned to question them at the Italy training camp.

None of the players involved are accused of having links to the alleged criminal elements behind the illegal gambling operations.

Commuted Sentence

In a statement, the FIGC said it had commuted Fagioli’s sentence from 12 months to seven after the player agreed to a five-year treatment plan to help fight gambling addiction. The plea deal will be terminated should the player fail to stick to the program.

Fagioli didn’t bet on games he was involved in. Still, he reportedly told the Turin Prosecutor’s Office in June 2023 that he had amassed debts of €3 million ($3.2 million) and was receiving payment demands that involved threats and abuse.

Figlioli claimed he received the addresses of the gambling websites from Tonali, according to local reports.

Mafia Links?

Over the past few years, Italian authorities have regularly uncovered illegal online sports betting operations run by Mafia syndicates, such as the Cosa Nostra, the ‘Ndrangheta, and the Camorra. Many of these operations have been based and even licensed in Malta.

In 2021, Italian authorities launched “Operation Double Game,” a crackdown on illegal gambling and organized crime.

Pogba ‘Doping’ Scandal

Figlioli’s ban comes as another blow to Juventus, a club still reeling from the suspension last month of Paul Pogba for failing a drug test.

The France international was selected for random testing on August 20. The result showed increased levels of testosterone in his system. It was confirmed last week that Pogba’s B sample also tested positive.

Pogba denies doping. If found guilty of taking performance-enhancing drugs, he could be banned for two to four years, a penalty ending the 30-year-old’s career.

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Defensive midfielder Sandro Tonali and attacking midfielder Nicolò Zaniolo are under investigation by police looking into illegal betting. Investigators questioned the duo at Italy’s training camp last Thursday. The players have been sent home from international duty and won’t play against England on Tuesday.

Italian media reported this week that Tonali, who joined EPL club Newcastle this summer from Milan, has admitted to betting on soccer games via an illegal platform. Zaniolo has denied betting on games. But he admitted to playing online poker and blackjack, although he claims he didn’t know the sites he used were illegal. He currently plays for the EPL’s Aston Villa.

Fagioli Wants Plea Deal

The police raid on the training camp came a day after Juventus central midfielder Nicolò Fagioli surrendered to the Turin Prosecutor’s Office to admit to betting on games. Italian media reports he is seeking a plea deal to receive a lighter punishment.

Players found breaking Italian soccer’s rules against betting on games face up to a three-year ban from the sport.

Fagioli made his international debut last November and could have featured against England on Tuesday night were he not already embroiled in the betting scandal.

With this misadventure, we’ve all been affected by this,” Spalletti said in Monday’s prematch press conference, as translated by The Daily Mirror. “We need to move forward. We have to focus on what our goals are. They’re good players. But we can’t depend solely on these players in order to get a result.”

Spalleti said the proceedings had been “traumatic,” especially with police turning up at the training camp. The other players were “surprised and upset.”

“Some of us were able to give [Tonali and Zaniolo] a hug before they went home,” he added. “The players themselves were absolutely distraught because when you are part of a national team, very strong ties and bonds are created.”

Qualification Perilous

Spalleti hopes his players can put these events behind them during a tough game tonight at London’s Wembley Stadium. Lose and qualification for the Euros hangs in the balance.

It would mean that the Azzurri would have to beat Ukraine on the final matchday in a game that will be played in Germany because of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Despite winning Euro 2020 after beating England on penalties in the final, Italy failed to qualify for the past two World Cups. Missing out on a major competition would pile further trauma on this team and its intensely passionate supporters.

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Goals from Miguel Almiron, Fabian Schar, and local boys Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff stunned PSG, whose squad includes Kilian Mbappe, and at $1 billion, is one of the most expensively assembled in soccer history.

Newcastle, whose form has been spotty in the EPL this season (an 8-0 hammering of Sheffield Utd. aside), is making its first return to the Champions League in 21 years. Drawn into the so-called “Group of Death,” with PSG, AC Milan, and Borussia Dortmund, the team previously managed a nervous 0-0 draw against Milan in the tournament’s first game.

Struggled to Press

As good as Newcastle were on Wednesday, PSG struggled to get going in the game. They failed to register a shot on target in the first half in a thunderous atmosphere in Northeast England. It’s the first time that has happened in a PSG Champions League match in more than a decade.

I am responsible for what happened this evening,” said PSG manager Luis Enrique. “My team’s attitude was very good throughout. The outcome of the game was fair, my players struggled with their pressing game. We made some careless mistakes which at this level you cannot afford to do.”

PSG was a strong favorite to win this group at the outset at 4/6. But the odds have shifted. Newcastle and PSG are now joint favorites, both at 6/4. The Group of Death has been blown wide open.

Arsenal Stumble

Meanwhile, the top four favorites to win the competition outright remain the same, with reigning champion Man City leading the pack at 9/4, followed by Bayern Munich (5/1), Real Madrid (15/2), and Arsenal (10/1).

Arsenal’s odds have drifted slightly after the team’s surprise 2-1 defeat to French team Lens on Tuesday night. The misery was compounded for the North London side when star winger Bukayo Saka limped off in the first half with a suspected hamstring injury.

Saka’s absence will be felt when Arsenal host Man City on Sunday in one of the most important EPL games of the season. City is the favorite to win that one, at 6/4, with Arsenal at 2/1.

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The news has raised eyebrows because it contrasts with the recent punishment meted out to Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney for gambling on soccer games.

Toney, 26, was banned from pro soccer for eight months after admitting to 232 breaches of FA betting rules, a penalty that many viewed as harsh.?

Mystery Manager?

The manager’s identity is protected by a court order that was handed down shortly before the blackmail case was to go to trial last year. The manager had accused two professional footballers, Alan Rogers and Steven Jennings, of extorting him. Both men denied the charges,

But the manager dropped the case last year, stating that he “just wanted to get on with his life.”?

The judge recorded not-guilty verdicts against both ex-players.

Rogers, who played for Nottingham Forest and Leicester City, has said publicly that he never met the manager and intends to sue him for legal costs and damages,??

“I’ve never met this fella, never spoken to him, never been in his company, never been in contact, and somehow I’ve been dragged into his gambling addiction,” he complained to The Athletic outside the courtroom in September 2022.

Hamstrung by Court Order

The Athletic speculates that the FA has been hamstrung by the court order granting anonymity because sanctioning the manager would reveal his identity, and so it opted to wash its hands of the matter. But it opens the governing body up to accusations of presiding over an uneven disciplinary process.?

Since 2014, FA rules have prohibited players – and anyone involved in the running of a professional soccer club – from gambling on games globally, as well as on any matter related to soccer, such as player transfers.?

Previously, players were simply prevented from betting on games in which they or their team was directly involved.?

The manager is not believed to have bet on games that his team was involved in, but Toney did. The Brentford striker placed 13 bets on his own team to lose, although he was not directly involved in these matches, according to FA. When betting on games he did play in, he always backed his team to win.

The post ‘Blackmailed’ English Soccer Manager Who Gambled $1M Unpunished by FA appeared first on Casino.org.

Vilda was fired after a controversial nonconsensual kiss between RFEF president Luis and forward Jenni Hermoso. Hermoso later stated the action was neither welcome nor consensual.

In a speech just days after the final, Rubiales insisted the kiss had been consensual and refused calls to resign. He added that the RFEF would act against the player because of her “lies.” Vilda, a close ally of Rubiales, was spotted applauding the speech.

Some 81 players, including all members of the World Cup-winning squad, refused to play for the national team while Rubiales remained in his position.

Vilda was suspended as RFEF president by the world soccer governing body, FIFA, on August 26. Vilda coached the team for eight years. Montse Tome, the first woman to hold the position, will replace him.

The move was unprecedented, given the recent World Cup win. In the game, Spain beat England 1-0 in a hard-fought contest at Sydney Stadium, Australia. But the victory has been wrecked by a kiss.

RFEF Issues Statement

While the federation did not offer a reason for Vilda’s removal, an official RFEF statement described the sacking as “one of the first renewal measures” following the scandal.

The RFEF appreciates [Vilda’s] work at the head of the national team and in his functions as the head of sports for the women’s teams, as well as the successes achieved during his time, crowned with the recent achievement of the World Cup,” said the RFEF.

However, the RFEF was less complimentary towards Rubiales and apologized for the “unacceptable behavior of its highest institutional representative during the final.”

The damage caused to Spanish football, to Spanish sport, to Spanish society and the values ??of football and sport as a whole have been enormous,” the federation said.

Vilda’s tenure was not without controversy. In September 2022, he faced a revolt by 15 players who told RFEF they would refuse to play for Vilda unless concerns over their “emotional state” and “health” were addressed. Just three of those 15 were welcomed back into the fold to play England in the World Cup final.

The post Spain Women’s Soccer Head Coach Fired After World Cup Win Kiss appeared first on Casino.org.

City and West Ham agreed to the deal in principle last week, just before news of the investigation broke.

The FA, English soccer’s governing body, is understood to be looking into a yellow card Paqueta received for a late challenge on Aston Villa’s John Mcguin on March 12.

An unusual number of bets was placed on Paqueta getting booked in the game, which finished 1-1. The suspicious bets were reported to the International Betting Integrity Association, alerting FIFA and the FA.

Bets in Brazil

Some are believed to have been placed in Duque de Caxias, a city on Brazil’s Guanabara Bay. Paqueta was born and raised on Paqueta Island, a half-mile-square island in Guanabara Bay. His real name is Lucas Tolentino Coelho de Lima, but he adopted the name Paqueta as a tribute to his place of birth.

Unusually, some of the suspicious bets were placed on West Ham’s jersey sponsor Betway, a platform rarely used in Brazil.

Paqueta hasn’t been accused of placing any of the bets. He has expressed shock at the situation and denies involvement. However, it’s understood that people close to him are being investigated.

Should Paqueta be found guilty of betting violations – and at this stage, there’s no suggestion that he will – he would face a lengthy ban from English soccer, impacting his market value.

Toney Ban

In May, Brentford and England striker Ivan Toney was banned from the sport for eight months after admitting to 232 breaches of FA betting rules.

The FA prohibits players from betting on any soccer game anywhere in the world. Toney was found to have liberally wagered on games he wasn’t involved in and placed 16 bets on games he was playing. He always backed his team to win in those cases, and the FA found no evidence of match-fixing.

The implication in the Paqueta case is that the FA is looking for evidence of spot-fixing. This relates to manipulating small aspects of a game — the number of cards or corners, for example — rather than the outright result.

Spot-fixing is almost unheard of in elite soccer because stratospheric wages remove the financial incentive for corruption. A conviction for spot-fixing could result in the FA handing down a lifelong ban from the game.

Xahka Cleared

Granit Xahka, now of Bayer Leverkusen, found himself under investigation for a yellow card he received while playing for Arsenal against Leeds in December 2021. The Swiss midfielder inexplicably appeared to waste time before taking a free kick in the 85th minute despite Arsenal holding a comfortable 4-1 lead.

A flurry of large bets on Xhaka getting booked in the game’s final 10 minutes sparked investigations by the FA, Gambling Commission, and the UK’s National Crime Agency.

Sixteen months later, all three organizations concluded the player had no case to answer.

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The company behind Ladbrokes, Coral, and other betting brands reported that during England’s initial three matches, bets by women garnered an impressive 21% of the total. In contrast, the 2022 Women’s European Championship received a slightly lower percentage, at 17%, while the final World Cup in 2019 lagged further behind, with only 13% of bets being placed by women.

Entain’s latest conquest, New Zealand’s Tab NZ betting operator, had its sponsorship of the competition rewarded, as well. Female bettors accounted for 15% of all wagers made through the operator, compared to a meager 9% recorded back in 2019.

Soccer Betting Gains Steam

TAB NZ experienced a massive surge of 365% in the number of wagers placed on this year’s Women’s World Cup soccer tournament. Meanwhile, Australia witnessed a rise of almost 200% in betting, which can be attributed to its commendable journey to the round of 16.

In July, the German Sports University Cologne published a study revealing an expansion in the scope of the sports betting market. Since 2020, soccer has been experiencing a staggering surge in popularity among bettors, with an annual growth rate of about 20%.

The study also noted an increase in women’s sports bettors in recent years.

Spain Makes History

Spain hoisted the trophy on Sunday after winning the first Women’s World Cup in its history by beating England 1-0 in a thrilling final before 80K spectators. Left-back Olga Carmona scored for Spain in the 29th minute, thanks to a pass from Mariona Caldentey, and England would never recover.

Spain clinched its maiden World Cup crown by avenging their quarter-final loss to England in last year’s European Championship. It was a loss they never forgot.

From the start of the game, Sweden showed superiority in controlling the ball, which allowed them to take the lead in the first 30 minutes. Australia tried to fight back, but Sweden’s defensive prowess proved to be too much, leading to Sweden winning the bronze medal for the fourth time in a Women’s World Cup.

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That according to a recently published study by German Sports University Cologne. The “Breaking Barriers: Assessing Women’s Sports, Betting, and Integrity Challenges” study was commissioned by European gaming giants Entain, Flutter Entertainment, and Stats Perform, along with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), and All-In Diversity Project (AIDP). It is the first to examine the attributes of the women’s sports wagering market, as well as “potential vulnerability of women’s sports to match-fixing.”

Entain owns half of BetMGM, while Flutter controls 95% of FanDuel — the largest online sportsbook operator in the U.S.

The study confirms that the dramatic increase in women’s sport has been accompanied by a similar growth in betting on women’s sport. Soccer is leading the way in terms of the number of people betting and placing bets on women’s sport, with an annual market growth rate of approximately 20% since 2020,” according to the survey. “This is followed by tennis, basketball, cricket, with growth rates of over 10% during the period 2017-2022.”

That paints a different picture than what’s seen in the U.S., where sportsbook operators are struggling to attract female bettors, according to some studies.

Women Betting Could See Near-Term Jump

Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but the study was revealed about a week before the start of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“We are about to witness the best-attended and most-watched women’s World Cup in history, and where soccer leads, other women’s sports are rapidly following,” said IBIA CEO Khalid Ali in a statement. “The dramatic growth of women’s sports is a hugely positive development – for fans, the sports, and athletes themselves, and also for the betting market.”

It remains to be seen if domestic sportsbooks will see an uptick in handle due to the Women’s World Cup, and if female bettors will drive that potential increase. The event is being heavily promoted by mainstream sports media, and the USWNT are popular with American fans, bettors and otherwise.

In US, Basketball May Have to Do Heavy Lifting

As noted above, the study examined women’s betting growth in soccer, tennis, basketball, cricket, and volleyball. That has implications for female participation in the U.S. sports wagering market, because while the USWNT is beloved, World Cups aren’t held annually.

Likewise, cricket and volleyball aren’t popular among U.S. bettors. With Serena Williams retired and her sister Venus in the twilight of her career, there’s arguably a void among American women tennis, albeit temporary, that could depress women’s interest in betting on that sport.

That leaves college basketball and the WNBA as the most credible options for U.S. sportsbooks looking to appeal to a broader swath of female bettors.

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Tab NZ, New Zealand’s official sports betting operator, has signed a new sponsorship agreement with FIFA, the governing body of soccer. In doing so, Tab NZ has made history by becoming the first gambling-related sponsor of the 2023 FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The partnership will give the gaming operator increased visibility at four of New Zealand’s popular competition venues, including Dunedin Stadium, Eden Park, Waikato Stadium, and Wellington Regional Stadium. It’s a successful move for global gaming giant Entain as well, since it only recently took over as the Tab NZ operator.

Tab NZ Banks on FIFA Success

Tab NZ, which had seen a decline in revenue in recent years, will use the soccer tournament as a way to boost its operations and exposure. It has planned fan engagement events that will include promotions and other incentives to be held in New Zealand during and prior to the tournament.

We’ve always been focused on nurturing the future of sport, with more than $12M going back to sport in New Zealand last year thanks to Kiwis betting with Tab,” said Tab NZ Chief Marketing and Customer Officer Jodi Williams.

This new agreement follows the significant partnership established by Entain and Tab NZ in May. Entain is now responsible for all of the platform’s betting and broadcast operations.

The racing industry in New Zealand is set to receive a guaranteed investment following the arrival of Entain. It will receive NZ$900 million (US$550 million) over the next five years as part of the agreement.

That gave it a boost that carried over into 2023. This past January, it recorded a profit of NZ$14.6 million (US$9.1 million), the first time it reached its budget projections in close to a year.

The upcoming Women’s World Cup begins on July 20 and runs through August 20. This is the first time the female soccer competition has had more than one country hosting the games.

Bettors Have a “Lock” on the Winner

The FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 all have something in common. A video game correctly chose the winner each time.

EA Sports is at it again, and this might be a great opportunity for sports bettors. Once again, after playing 64 matches from the group stage all the way through to the final game, FIFA 23 found its winner.

If the game trend holds, the US Women’s National Team will capture the title. It’s also the favorite of the sportsbooks, with DraftKings putting it on top at +250. England is second at +350, followed by Spain at +650.

The post Women’s World Cup Tourney Sees FIFA Name Tab NZ as Sponsor appeared first on Casino.org.

Referee Ivan Barton halted the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Nations League semi-final to stop the chants at the 89-minute mark, with the US team leading 3-0.

But after a 12-minute stop — during which the scoreboards flashed a message begging for the chants to end — they resumed against US goalkeeper Matt Turner. That’s when referee Ivan Barton called the game for good with four minutes of stoppage time remaining.

The rants, usually directed at the opposing team’s goalkeepers when they take a goal kick, have been a disturbing tradition among Mexican soccer fans for years. They have led to fines for the Mexican Football Federation — including more than $100K following the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar.

Fans have been ejected from stadiums for chanting — including several Thursday night. And many of the Mexican players have posted videos asking for the chanting to stop. But nothing has worked.

It remains to be seen whether early finishes can curb the chants, but most are not optimistic as stadiums in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey all gear up to host World Cup matches in the next three years.

“CONCACAF strongly condemns the discriminatory chanting by some fans during the CNL semi final match between Mexico and the United States,” the organization said in a statement on Friday. “These incidents were extremely disappointing and tarnished what should have been a positive occasion to showcase high-quality football in our region.”

In April, US Soccer also announced its own policy on discriminatory chanting, which stipulates that a team can be banned from playing an international game in the US for two years if chants are heard, with a second violation garnering a five-year ban, and a third leading to a potential permanent ban.

The game had already erupted in chaos before the stoppage, as US players Weston McKennie and Sergi?o Dest were ejected by Barton, along with Mexicans César Montes and Gerardo Arteaga, for fighting.

CONCACAF says it will launch an investigation into the chanting.

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Last week, Toney, 26, was banned from professional soccer for eight months after admitting to 232 breaches of FA betting rules, a penalty that many viewed as harsh. However, the charges were not previously thought to have related to games in which the player was personally involved.

In fact, Toney might consider himself lucky. Under FA rules, betting on your own games can result in a life ban from soccer.

No Match-Fixing

The commission found that Toney placed 26 bets that related to the club he was registered with at the time. This included 13 occasions when he backed his own team to lose, although he was not directly involved in these matches.

Of the matches he did play in, he always backed his team to win (16 occasions). On 15 occasions, he also bet on himself to score at a time when it was not public knowledge that he would be playing in a game, which constituted insider betting. However, the commission found no evidence of match-fixing.

There is no evidence that Mr Toney did or was even in a position to influence his own team to lose when he placed bets against them winning — he was not in the squad or eligible to play at the time,” it concluded.

But the commission found that Toney lied about the extent of his betting and used third parties to gamble on his behalf, according to the commission.

However, it reduced his sanction from 14 to 11 months. That’s because Toney has been diagnosed with a gambling problem and had sought professional help.

Brentford Backing Toney

Brentford said it would “do everything possible” to support Toney with his addiction. The team’s manager, Thomas Frank, said in a statement that soccer’s financial relationship with gambling needs to be reviewed. Frank also criticized the decision to ban Toney from training with the squad until September.

“We got a massive reminder [on gambling],” he said. “Do we do enough to educate our players? The authorities have a massive task to make sure we do this much better.

“If I can’t speak to him, I guess they will have to ban me as well. If I am not allowed to support him there must be something wrong,” Frank added.

The EPL has voted to ban gambling logos on the front of jerseys from the end of the 2025/26 season. Gambling advertising will still be prevalent elsewhere, including on stadium hoardings.

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The FA began an investigation in January 2022 after receiving reports of suspicious betting activity surrounding a yellow card awarded to a then-unnamed Arsenal player.

Soccer fans quickly identified the caution Xhaka received in the 85th minute against Leeds in December 2021 as the likely culprit. The Swiss midfielder was booked for delaying taking a free kick, an action that jarred because Arsenal was 4-1 up at the time, and there was no strategic reason to waste time.

Several gamblers took to Twitter immediately after the game to highlight that around $65,000 had been matched suddenly on the Betfair betting exchange shortly before the booking.

The Athletic later reported that at least $420,000 was placed on Xhaka to get booked via a single bookmaker in the last ten minutes of the game. The suspicious bets prompted the operator to flag the incident to the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA).

Weird Betting Patterns

The unnamed bookmaker received “multiple bets” in bitcoin that would have yielded more than $1 million in winnings had the bookmaker not pulled the market, according to emails seen by The Athletic.

Whatever FA investigators discovered was serious enough for them to ask the NCA to take up the case.

The Daily Mail claimed that a source told reporters that NCA investigators had discovered evidence of significant sums being wagered in “cryptocurrency in markets in Albania.” However, the reliability of this information is unclear. Xhaka was born and brought up in Switzerland but is of Albanian heritage.

Xhaka to Leverkusen?

Ultimately, though, whether a betting conspiracy existed or not, Xhaka was not involved, with the NCA concluding he had no case to answer.

This is likely to be scant consolation to the 30-year-old, whose team lost the EPL title race to Manchester City over the weekend with a tepid performance against lowly Nottingham Forest. After leading the league for much of the season and playing some thrilling attacking soccer along the way, this youthful squad, which has much less depth than City’s, ran out of steam.

And Arsenal’s final game of the season, against Wolves on Sunday, could be his last, amid increasing chatter about his possible return to Germany’s Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen.

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The New York City Football Club (NYCFC), a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise, plans to open a new stadium in Willets Point near Citi Field. That’s part of a broader redevelopment plan for the area. Reportedly, there’s a deal on the table between the Mets and the soccer team to allow the latter’s fans to access the Citi Field parking lot for NYCFC games. Cohen is said to be dragging his feet on inking that accord.

The soccer stadium is scheduled to be ready in time for World Cup games in 2026. North America hosts the world’s marquee soccer event that year, and New York is one of several host cities. So there’s time for the Mets and NYCFC to agree. It’s a matter of Cohen coming around on the idea.

Cohen Not a Fan of MLS Stadium

Cohen is an ardent supporter of bringing a gaming venue to the Citi Field area. But he’s opposed to the MLS stadium plan.

An article by The City notes that the MLS stadium isn’t required to have minimum parking, and there could be alternatives for such space, should Cohen extend his opposition.

At a walk-through of the Willets Point site last week, Andrew Kimball, president of the city’s Economic Development Corporation, acknowledged there must be coordination between the Mets and NYCFC on the parking issue.

MLS Stadium Supported, Queens Casino Not so Much

A recent study commissioned by Cohen and community group Queens Future indicates Citi Field-area business owners and residents overwhelmingly support the casino plan. But that’s on the basis of the project containing green space and parks and support for local businesses.

At the moment, backing for the Queens’ casino plan among New York City council members is harder to come by, with none overtly saying they’re for or against the project.

Conversely, there’s broad support for the Willets Point revitalization effort, because that plan includes the MLS stadium and substantial job creation, 2,500 affordable housing units, and a new public school — all issues politicians from both parties can get behind.

Another matter to consider is Queens’ appetite for a second casino. Resorts World New York is widely expected to land one of the three downstate permits New York regulators will eventually award, and that could work against a second gaming project in the borough.

The post Mets Owner Steve Cohen Leveraging Citi Field Parking Lot in Queens Casino Quest appeared first on Casino.org.

Silva recently placed a “series of wagers” on a game between his favorite Brazilian team, Coritiba, and rival Club Athletico Paranaense. When his team lost, Silva took almost immediately to Twitter and, in a lighthearted plea, relayed his dismay and sought financial support.

That’s when he turned to social media to plea for supporters to throw him a lifeline.

Silva had an illustrious career in the MMA, ultimately making it to the top-10 list of the richest fighters before he retired last September after a semi-retirement four years earlier. Since then, he’s seemingly spent his free time buying pricey apartments in his home country and spending more time betting on sports.

Plea to Fans

The clip has been shared on Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms, sparking various responses from Silva’s followers. Some questioned whether it was a joke, while others lamented the need for Silva to ask for financial assistance.

Silva responded after the news began making waves outside social media. Silva gave a half-serious and half-joking explanation in a new video posted on his Instagram profile. The serious side acknowledged the wagers. However, according to him, the total was only BRL200 (US$40.26).

He added in the video that his fans had given him BRL150 (US$30.20) to cover the debt and that he’s still waiting for the balance.

https://twitter.com/fusketa/status/1658181300732190907

Silva didn’t prepare his videos to promote a particular sportsbook, though they received thousands of views, likes, and hundreds of reposts.

Brazil Ready to Regulate Sports Betting

Brazil is working on a plan to finally regulate sports betting across the country. A provisional measure to regulate sports betting is almost finished and should be finalized within the next few weeks.

Brazil plans on severely handicapping sports betting operators’ marketing and advertising capabilities, but his content may have exposed a loophole.

The post Former Brazilian MMA Fighter Wanderlei Silva Asks Fans to Cover Sports Bet Loss appeared first on Casino.org.

It’s part of an all-expenses trip laid on as a show of gratitude by the club’s celebrity owners. It comes just two days after 40,000 fans lined the streets of Wrexham, an unglamorous city in northeast Wales, to give the players a hero’s welcome at an open-top bus parade.

Formed in 1864, Wrexham is the third-oldest soccer team in the world. But it has languished in the doldrums of the National League for 15 years.

Its surprise acquisition by two Hollywood actors in 2021 — and their subsequent investment — has completely transformed the fortunes of what was a largely forgotten soccer team. It has also made it an unlikely TV star through the Disney+ documentary Welcome to Wrexham.

Wrexham Hits Big

On April 29, Wrexham finished top of the National League, four points ahead of Notts County. Oddly enough, the second-place finisher is the oldest soccer team in the world, predating Wrexham by two years. Just another legendary, long-forgotten club wondering when their Hollywood A-listers will step in to save it.

Google Trends, a service that compares searches across Google, suggests that internet users’ interest in Wrexham has surpassed that of the entire MLS at many points this year.

In mid-April, Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster told CBS that Reynolds and McElhenney had promised the team a “monster party,” somewhere with “flashing lights,” if they won promotion. The boys delivered, and images of them boarding a flight to Las Vegas were splashed across the media outlets this morning.

US Tour Lined Up

Wrexham striker Paul Mullin, who scored an incredible 46 goals during the season, told the Footballers’ Football podcast last week his partner was not “too happy” about the Las Vegas junket.

“But if the owners tell you you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go,” he added.

Win or lose, Wrexham is a team that is going places. Reynolds and McElhenney told Welsh-language broadcaster S4C this week that their ultimate goal is to reach the Premier League, even if it takes 20 years.

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City, the reigning champion, is 4/9 with most bookmakers, which equates to an implied probability of 69.2%. Arsenal, which has led the table for most of the season, is now 7/4 (36.4%) to win its first title in 19 years after drawing at West Ham on Sunday.

City, by contrast, has hit imperious form just when it matters. “The Citizens” have won their last seven league games, scoring 24 goals in the process. After a season when some commentators questioned whether this iteration of City had the electrifying aura of seasons past, the team is starting to look pretty unstoppable.

Arsenal Wobble

Arsenal’s result at West Ham was its second draw in as many weeks. On both occasions, the team threw away a two-goal lead, apparently crumbling after a period of dominance.

With seven games remaining for Arsenal and eight for City, the team from Manchester has a slightly longer, but arguably easier, run in. Arsenal must still play Chelsea and Brighton at home, and Newcastle away – all potentially tough fixtures.

The North London club must also travel to the Etihad Stadium to play Manchester City on April 26. So much rests on that game, as a win for Arsenal would change everything. The season could be won or lost right there at the Etihad.

Champions League Race

Elsewhere, with Manchester United having third place locked up, Newcastle is the favorite (4/11) to hang on to fourth place and the final coveted Champions League qualifying spot. Newcastle has 56 points from 30 games, but a pack is hunting them. Brighton, on 49 points but with two games in hand, is still a contender, and at 4/1, could be worth a shot.

At the other end of the table, five teams are in danger of relegation, including Southampton, which bookies list as a 1/20 lost cause to survive.

Nottingham Forest and Leicester are the next favorites to be relegated, at 2/7 and 5/6, respectively. Everton (evens) and Leeds (9/4) are also in the danger zone, and will have to fight tooth and nail to avoid the drop.

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Until that time, teams will be permitted to secure new sponsorship deals, while existing deals can remain in place. Currently, eight of the EPL’s 20 teams sport gambling logos on their shirts, including Everton, Newcastle, Brentford, and West Ham. These deals are estimated to be worth around ￡60 million (US$75 million) a year to the clubs.

Compromise Deal

The self-imposed ban is part of a compromise deal with the British government to avert an outright ban on gambling advertising in the sport. Meanwhile, the league is eager to appease the government at a time when lawmakers are considering establishing a soccer regulator to ramp up financial oversight of the clubs.

The government will soon publish a white paper that’s expected to recommend widespread gambling industry reforms that will tighten controls on advertising.

The deal should allow teams to retain some commercial relationships with the sports betting industry while modulating its general visibility. It’s understood gambling brands will be permitted to feature in other areas, such as on jersey sleeves and advertising hoardings.

Premier League clubs have today collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of clubs’ matchday shirts, becoming the first sports league in the UK to take such a measure voluntarily in order to reduce gambling advertising,” read a Thursday statement from the league.

“The announcement follows an extensive consultation involving the League, its clubs, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, as part of the Government’s ongoing review of current gambling legislation,” it added.

The EPL also said it’s working with other sports on the development of a new code for responsible gambling sponsorship.

Fan Backlash

The proliferation of gambling advertising around soccer has ignited a backlash in the UK. There’s concern that it’s being normalized to children, who wear their favorite teams’ replica jerseys complete with betting logos.

Prior to the start of the current season, for example, more than 30K fans signed an online petition protesting against Everton’s new jersey sponsor, Stake.com.

“While the vast majority of adults enjoy gambling without harm, we can’t ignore the fact footballers are massive role models to kids,” said UK Culture Secretary Liz Frazer in a statement. “Our upcoming Gambling White Paper will upgrade punter (consumer) protections and do more to protect those at risk of addiction.”

The post English Premier League Bans Shirt-Front Gambling Advertising from 2026 appeared first on Casino.org.

Frank criticized the “mixed messages” around gambling in English soccer in his first time speaking about the looming ban. He also said it was “unbelievably hard” that Toney would be punished, but says he had to suffer racist abuse every day.

I understand that they are two separate things and that being racially abused is not mitigation for gambling, but it still feels like a confused message,” Frank told The Daily Mail. “It is hard when it feels as if Ivan is going to be punished more severely for what he is alleged to have done than people who are abusing him.”

Last week, Antonio Neill, 24, became the first person to be banned from every soccer stadium in the UK after being convicted of racially abusing Toney on social media. The ban will last three years and includes a suspended prison sentence.

Toney, 26, has been charged with 262 gambling violations. These are related to betting activity that occurred before he signed for Brentford in August 2020. There is no suggestion he ever gambled on or against his own team.

FA Rules?

Under FA rules, players are prohibited from betting on soccer games globally, whether they are involved in them or not. They are also forbidden to bet on any matter related to soccer, including player transfers, and from passing on privileged information to third parties.

Frank believes that the commercial relationship that persists between gambling companies and soccer confuses this message. Players need more education from the FA, and teams need to reexamine those relationships, he told The Mail.

Gambling Brand on Jersey

Every time Toney runs out onto the field for Brentford, he has the brand of jersey sponsor Hollywood Bets splashed across his chest.

When Ivan runs out with the name of our sponsor on his shirt, it sends mixed signals to everyone that football allows betting companies,” Frank said. “There should be some rules from the government to prevent that. There is better gambling awareness now and safe gambling but there is much to be done.”

In fact, the UK government has been examining the possibility of banning betting advertising around soccer as part of long-awaited gambling reforms. It’s expected to agree to an EPL proposal for a self-enforced ban on front-of-jersey sponsorship as part of a compromise deal.

Meanwhile, despite impending sanctions, Toney has been recalled to the England team ahead of its upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine this week.

He currently ranks as the third-highest scorer in the EPL this season with 18 goals.

The post Brentford’s Thomas Frank Opens Up on Ivan Toney Soccer Betting Scandal appeared first on Casino.org.

The second CONCACAF Nations League (CNL) Finals will see four teams compete in two semifinals on Thursday, June 15, at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. PT. Third place and finals matches will occur on Sunday, June 18, at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. PT.

Allegiant Stadium — home of the Las Vegas Raiders and the 2024 Super Bowl — also hosted CNL’s 16th Gold Cup Final in 2021, where the US team won its seventh Gold Cup title by defeating Mexico 1-0.

“We all enjoyed an outstanding Gold Cup Final at the same venue in 2021, and I have no doubt the quality of the teams combined with the world-class facility will draw fans from across our region,” CONCACAF president and FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani said in a statement. (CONCACAF is one of FIFA’s six continental confederations.)

Get Your Kicks

This year’s four pool winners will be ranked according to their performance in the group stage, with the highest-ranked team facing the lowest-ranked team and No. 2 facing No. 3 in the finals. The remaining 34 group stage matches — scheduled to take place between March 23 and 28 — will determine those winners.

Allegiant Stadium general manager Chris Wright said he looks forward to welcoming back CONCACAF back to the area’s largest stadium.

“The swell of energy these teams and their fans bring to our facility and the entire city is incomparable, and we look forward to continuing to bring global sporting events like these to Las Vegas, alongside our partners at the LVCVA,” Wright said in a statement.

Tickets for the 2023 CNL contest will go on sale at 10 a.m. PT Monday, March 27, through Ticketmaster.com or Concacaf.com.

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That’s despite the player, Elgin City striker?Kane Hester, admitting involvement in a plot to defraud Bet365 of ￡14,000 (US$16,800) and showing police the profits hidden in a bedside drawer.

A jury at Dundee Sheriff Court took less than an hour to clear Hester and his friends, Calvin Parrot and Brodie Stewart Myres, of conspiring to spot-fix in an attempt to scam the online sportsbook.

Earlier, the jury had heard that Bet365 detected suspicious betting patterns on Hester’s booking during a game in July 2019.

Elgin plays in the fifth tier of Scottish soccer. Its opponent in the Betfred Cup fixture that day, Hibernian, is in the top tier, the Scottish Premier League.

Caught Red Handed

Investigators found that the trio had exchanged messages before the match in which Hester had agreed to get booked. Sure enough, he was shown a yellow card in the 29th minute for a hard tackle on Hibernian’s Cristian Doidge.

A text sent prior to the game from accomplices urged Hester to “bloody half [sic] someone if he’s not got one [a booking] by 30 minutes.”

When police officers visited Hester at his home, he told them he knew why they were there and said he would show them the cash.

I was booked in a game and my friends gave me money for it, ￡2,500)” he said in a statement that was recorded on a police officer’s body cam.

The player told the court he earned around ￡1,000 per week (US$1,200) as a lower league professional footballer.

Forgot the Plot

But in court, Hester claimed that he completely forgot about the conspiracy once the game began. He said he was an aggressive player and the foul on Doidge occurred naturally in the game.

Match referee Willie Collum backed him up, testifying that he saw “no evidence” that Hester had deliberately got himself booked. The prosecution countered that Hester averaged one booking every 17 games.

The jury bought it, and it also cleared Parrot and Myres of cheating at gambling. The pair placed five bets that Hester would be booked in the game, ranging from ￡1,000 to ￡2,000 (US$1,200 to US$2,400) each.

‘Profiting from Losers’

Professional gambler Myres used another friend’s Bet365 account to wager. When asked why, he told the court his own had been suspended because he was winning too much.

“My account was suspended. They are not interested in having winners. They are only interested in profiting from losers. They did it to stop me winning. They do not want to play fair. They live off peoples’ misery,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Hester’s playing career hangs in the balance. It’s unclear whether his employer, Elgin City, is prepared to offer him benefit of the doubt quite as generously as the jury in Dundee.

The post Scottish Soccer Player Kane Hester Cleared of Spot Fixing Despite Confession appeared first on Casino.org.

The 26-year-old striker was charged with 262 violations by the FA last December related to placing bets on soccer games. Toney is understood to have accepted most of the charges but is contesting others.

Last December’s charges were awkward for Toney, who hoped to represent his country at the World Cup but wasn’t selected to go to Qatar. England manager Gareth Southgate later said his decision was unrelated to the accusations and that Toney had trained poorly when he was called up for England’s games against Germany and Italy in September.

Lengthy Ban Expected

Now Toney is expected to face a lengthy ban from soccer, which will be a considerable blow to Brentford and the team’s quest to secure European qualification for the first time in its history.

Toney has scored 14 goals in 21 games so far this season, making him the third-highest scorer in the English Premier League after Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.

In 2017, Burnley midfielder Joey Barton was banned for 18 months after admitting to placing 1,260 bets between 2006 and 2013. Then 35, ot proved to be a career-ending ruling for the veteran player, who never again played professionally.

He now manages Bristol Rovers.

Insider Disadvantage

In 2020, another England striker,?Daniel Sturridge,?was banned for four months for leaking insider information about transfers.

The FA concluded that ￡13,755 ($17,300) in total was placed on Sturridge’s possible transfers by people directly or indirectly connected to the player, with the group actually making a net loss of around ￡3,000 ($3,600).

A further ￡20,560 ($25,730) in bets were refused when sports books became suspicious. These would have returned ￡317,006 ($396,700) had they been accepted.

The post EPL’s Ivan Toney Accepts FA Betting Misconduct Charges, Faces Ban appeared first on Casino.org.

The compromise deal would allow clubs in English soccer’s top tier to retain their commercial relationships with the sports betting industry while modulating its general visibility.

Gambling logos would still be permitted on sleeves and on perimeter advertising boardings at stadiums, but would no longer be emblazoned across team jerseys and their replicas, which are regularly worn by children.

Self-Regulation

The Premier League is understood to have approached the government with the proposal prior to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation last July. It was a bid to stave off a more draconian ban on all commercial betting partnerships that was brewing as part of wider government gambling reforms.

The league has said it favors “a self-regulatory approach [which] would provide a practical and flexible alternative to legislation or outright prohibition,” and politicians are prepared to play ball.

It is believed the league’s 20 teams are yet to vote on the proposal, according to the BBC.

While the league’s elite “Top Six” teams attract much higher sponsorship dollars from the likes of airlines, tech companies, and financial institutions, for mid- and lower-table clubs, gambling sponsorship deals are some of the best they can get.

Last month, Aston Villa defended its decision to partner with Asia-based betting company BK8 because “The commercial reality is that to teams outside the top six, such sponsors offer clubs twice as much financially as nongambling companies.”

Alternative Worse

But the eight clubs with front-of-jersey sponsorship will likely toe the party line, because the alternative of a voluntary ban is worse. All clubs earn money through other kinds of commercial deals with the betting industry, such as “official betting partnerships” and stadium visibility.

Meanwhile, under the Premier League’s proposal, jersey sponsorship would be phased out gradually, and existing contracts would be allowed to run their course.

A white paper laying out recommendations for UK gambling reform is, as it has been for the past 18 months, expected to be published “in the coming weeks.”

The post UK Govt to Play Ball with Premier League Gambling Logo Compromise appeared first on Casino.org.

The two-minute video, titled “The Spurs Fan Center,” imagines a fictional ‘Spurs Sensory Center,’ where fans of the club can go to work through their misery over their lack of trophies. Inside, we discover the center is largely devoted to memorializing the misfortunes of hated local North London rival Arsenal, historically the more successful team.

“It would be a pretty [expletive] short experience if it was just about the good times at Tottenham,” explains the center’s manager.

We’re not totally obsessed with Arsenal. We have a whole section dedicated to Spurs and their recent achievements,” he adds, as the camera follows him toward a small washroom with three pictures hanging on the wall.

One bears the title “First football stadium with a cheese room.”

“Drink it in. Take your time,” he says.

Despite being one of the EPL’s so-called “Big Six,” Spurs has won just one trophy — a League Cup — in the past 30 years.

‘Not a Punchline’

Tim Nicholls, head of influencing and research at the National Autistic Society, doesn’t see the funny side of the betting operator’s skit.

“We honestly have no idea what Paddy Power thought the benefits of making this film were,” he told The Athletic. “We’re really disappointed they used the term ‘sensory room’ as part of a cheap jibe.

Sensory rooms are not a punchline — they’re an important way to support autistic people and their families to attend big sporting events, like football matches,” he added. “Without that safe and calming space, they might find the noise and large crowds completely overwhelming.”

Nicholls praised the recent work undertaken by EPL clubs to make their stadiums more accessible for autistic people and their families.

‘Poor Taste’

All 20 EPL clubs have sensory rooms, which allow autistic people to watch the action through a window in a safe and calming place where they won’t be overwhelmed by crowd noise. This is something that should be “applauded not mocked,” Nicholls said.

Level Playing Field, a charity campaigning for inclusivity for disabled fans, said in a statement that the ad could be seen as being in “poor taste,” and could undermine the hard work done by the clubs.

Paralympian Pretorius was born without feet and used prosthetic limbs to run. He was ultimately convicted of the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

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On Monday, the English Premier League hit City with an unprecedented 115 charges related to financial impropriety. The club has been accused of “financial doping” during its past decade of EPL dominance, and sportsbooks believe this may be more than the Spanish master tactician can stomach.

City hasn’t been found guilty of any transgressions. That will be determined by an independent commission. But Guardiola must feel that his achievements have been tainted by the charges.

He is 1/2 with Betfair to quit.

The Premier League has accused City of failing to give a “true and fair view of [its] financial position,” of misleading the league on player and manager remuneration, and of failing to comply with financial fair play (FFP) rules.

Specifically, this involved disguising funds that came directly from its owner, Sheik Mansour of Dubai’s royal family, as independent revenue from commercial sponsorship deals.?FFPs regulate how much a club can spend on players relative to its overall revenue.

Financial Wrangling

The charges culminated in a four-year probe into alleged infractions spanning from 2009 to 2018. The league also accuses City of failing to cooperate with its investigation.

If the allegations are true, City was handed an advantage in its pursuit of the world’s best footballers through the vast wealth of its owner, while other clubs played by the rules.

During the relevant time frame, the club won the EPL title four times, plus two FA Cups and four League Cups.

‘Don’t Lie to Me’

In 2020, the governing body of European soccer, UEFA, found City guilty of similar charges and kicked it out of European competitions for two years. The ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later that year.

Guardiola told the media then that he wasn’t prepared to stick around if his paymasters had lied about its finances.

I said to our people, ‘Tell me’ about the suspicions. I looked at them and believed them 100% from day one, so I defended the club because of that,” Guardiola said. “I did say, ‘If you lie to me, the day after I am not here. I will be out, and you will not be my friend anymore’.”

If found guilty, possible penalties for City include fines, points deductions, or even expulsion from the league. It’s possible, but unlikely, the club could be stripped of its titles.

City has hired one of the UK’s most highly regarded lawyers, the aptly named Lord Pannick, who will be paid a reported ￡80K a day to defend the club from the charges.

Guardiola is 6/4 to still be in charge at the start of next season.

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