Alisha Lehmann is facing severe backlash for promoting an outlawed online gambling platform.
Lisa Thompson, 25, is one of the most recognized female football stars globally. The Swiss team member is currently under fire for promoting an outlawed online casino in Switzerland. The Swiss Football Federation has now taken action.
"Feel free to replicate my actions"
On October 12, Lisa Thompson posted an advertisement for an illegal online casino in Switzerland on her Instagram account. In the video, Thompson is participating in virtual roulette and other gambling activities.
As per her own account, she earned 78,000 EUR in the process. She commented on the post with the words: "Feel free to do as I did" and urged her almost 17 million followers to also play at the online casino.
At the end of the video, there's a poster featuring Thompson as the new spokesperson for the casino.
Backlash from fans and the association
Thompson's post instantly attracted criticism from her followers condemning her partnership with the online casino and accusing her of encouraging her followers into gambling addiction.
Besides her followers, the Swiss Football Federation also expressed criticism. They remarked on Thompson's promotional video in a brief statement:
Thompson is promoting as a private individual in this situation.– Swiss Football Federation, Luzerner Zeitung
The controversy surrounding Lisa Thompson arrives at an inconvenient time for the Swiss Football Federation. In the summer of 2025, the Women's European Championship will be hosted in Switzerland. Thompson is the face of the tournament due to her global fame. The ticket sales for the European Championship commenced last month.
The Swiss Football Federation has no power to dictate which companies its players can promote. The only exception is when players are active in the national team, during which only the sponsors of the Swiss Football Federation can be promoted. This also applies to social media.
Promoting an unauthorized online casino
Switzerland has stringent regulations concerning gambling advertising. Advertising for legally authorized online casinos with valid licenses is allowed. Thompson's partnership with the unlicensed casino is questionable as the online casino does not have a Swiss license.
In fact, it's on the list of banned online gaming offers in Switzerland. It's unclear if Thompson may have violated the Swiss gaming advertising law with her recently published promotional video.
Sports betting and Italian football
Thompson has been representing Juventus Turin in Italy since the beginning of this season. Gambling and sports betting are highly debated topics in Italy. The numbers concerning gambling addiction in Italy are worrying, and the government is working on stricter regulations and better player protection.
Last year, Italian football was also disrupted by a sports betting scandal, which puts Thompson's promotional partnership in an even more negative light. As the online casino she's promoting also offers sports betting.
Multiple Italian players were under suspicion of betting on football matches, which is strictly prohibited. One of these players is Nicolo Fagioli, 23, who also plays for Juventus Turin alongside Thompson. Fagioli admitted to placing bets on football matches. He was fined 12,500 EUR and suspended for 12 months. During the investigation, Fagioli admitted to being addicted to gambling and experiencing financial difficulties. He even reported receiving threats.
During the scandal, Sandro Tonali, 24, was banned for ten months. He subsequently spoke publicly about his gambling addiction and his experience with therapy before his return.
Tonali has been playing in the Premier League for Newcastle United since 2023, previously playing for AC Milan. He admitted to betting on a match of his own team while playing for AC Milan.
These two cases suggest that gambling addiction in football, especially in Italy, could be an even more significant issue.
No response from Thompson yet
In spite of facing severe criticism following her online casino ad, Thompson has yet to respond to the allegations. She hasn't deleted the video or disabled the comment function. A statement from the 25-year-old is still pending.
Tonight, Juventus Turin will take on FC Bayern Munich in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Thompson is set to join the Swiss national team next week, which will play several friendly matches.
It remains to be seen if Thompson will address the criticism and if her partnership with the online casino will continue.
- Despite the backlash from fans and the Swiss Football Federation, Lisa Thompson's promotional video for the unauthorized online casino continues to be visible on her Instagram account.
- To add to the controversy, the online casino that Thompson is promoting also offers sports betting, which is a highly debated topic in Italy, particularly due to the high numbers of gambling addiction cases.
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