Football Association calls on Premier League to ban yellow card betting
The Football Association (FA) has urged bookmakers to stop betting on yellow cards in football matches, the Daily Mail reports. The media claimed that the FA has held discussions with the gambling industry and relevant leaders and that changes may be imminent.
The organization is also seeking a ban on betting on other penalties, including red cards and other types of yellow cards. This includes a ban on betting on corners and the number of corners taken in a match.
Some operators, including Unibet and 32Red, have voluntarily stopped offering penalty kick bets and similar in-game promotions, the Daily Mail reports.
Both the FA and Premier League have expressed support for the idea. The FA's Premier League initiative is reportedly booming, with the UK's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which helped draft the Gambling White Paper, backing the idea.
Some sports betting markets, such as Germany and Sweden, have already introduced bans on yellow card betting.
There was no clear indication of when the changes might happen or if they would be accepted.
The change comes in the wake of several high-profile match-fixing and betting scandals.
Players under investigation
These developments stem from the ongoing investigation into West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta. The investigation looked into three instances in which he was booked during the game.
Paqueta is just the latest player to come under scrutiny for possible misconduct. Ivan Toney is to retire from English football after admitting 232 breaches of FA anti-betting rules. He later claimed he was not guilty of many of these violations.
Several other investigations have been conducted over the past five seasons. Granit Xhaka, who plays for Arsenal, and Oxford United defender Ciaran Brown were investigated but never charged. Kynan Isac, a former Reading defender, was banned for 12 years for a lack of self-control during an FA Cup tie.
Spaniard Luis Enrique is also under investigation for his alleged involvement in Brazilian sports betting rigging. The 22-year-old attacker was called as a witness by the country's Congress along with Paqueta.
As with most sports, football players and others associated with the organization are not allowed to place bets on the sport. Some athletes have tried to argue that they were unaware of the rule, although such lies should be punished with a red card.
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Source: www.casino.org
