While the professional baseball teams in Arizona and Florida gear up for the upcoming 162-game season, the Major League Baseball officials are eagerly waiting for the highly anticipated sports betting ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States. If the Supreme Court repeals the apparently unconstitutional PASPA or Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, the individual states will be free to design their respective legislation for regulating and operating sports betting within their borders.
That being said, if the Supreme Court makes a favorable ruling, the fans of MLB in certain states might be able to place their legal bets on the upcoming tournament matches. As such, the MLB officials are now gearing up to prepare their teams and players by providing them dedicated training on sports wagering. In addition to this, the umpires and coaches of the MLB tournaments will also be provided proper sports betting training.
It is being speculated that before July this year, the Supreme Court is likely to announce its decision on what is being regarded as the most highly publicized federal lawsuit in a long long time. If the Supreme Court repeals the 25-year-old PASPA, it is literally going to bring about a drastic transformation in the concept of sports gambling in the United States. In the case of a revocation of the federal law that currently prohibits sports betting in all states but four, the individual states would be allowed to take their own decisions as to whether or not they want their citizens to sports wager.
In a conference with the local news reporters, the commissioner of the Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred outlined that they are quite optimistic about the promising future of sports betting in the country. In addition to the MLB, the other three major sports leagues in the US are also preparing their teams and officials for a possible change in the sports betting laws in the country.
Not only are these sports leagues educating their players about the concept of sports betting, but also are themselves constantly studying and monitoring sports betting data to be better equipped with the right information when the need arises. The sports leagues are also researching their various options in terms of new businesses and partnerships that might help enhance their revenue streams in the future.
March 21, 2018
National Lottery Expansion Triggers Scare of Problem Gambling
With multiple private National Lottery operators opening an average of 50 new establishments every single month for the last couple of years, experts are viewing the situation as a precursor for a surge in problem gambling in Ireland. Ever since a Canada-regulated consortium was provided the franchisee of National Lottery back in 2014, there has been a reported increase of nearly 50% in the number of authorized retailers selling scratch cards and draw tickets for Lotto. The reported rise in the number of retailers shows a jump to 5790 in the current situation from 3,700 in 2014.
The PLI or Premier Lotteries Ireland is currently owned and operated by a pension fund based out of Toronto, with the erstwhile state operator An Post holding a minority stake in it. According to a report published by a local media house, the company is mulling over a proposition of adding a new set of over 320 retailers to its existing comprehensive network of National Lottery within the next two years.
However, the chief executive officer at a charitable organization called Problem Gambling Ireland, and an addiction counselor, Barry Grant, has expressed his views on the proposed expansion majorly targeting the rural areas by saying that it could actually have a negative effect on the population of the country.
Barry said that while lottery ticket draws fall on the far end of the risk factor scale of gambling, the scratch cards bring with them an instant gratification factor which makes them quite similar to the hardcore casino gaming on slot machines. He further added that the scratch cards are far more addictive and harmful as compared to traditional lottery draws with a majority of the purchases for the former falling under the category of impulse buying. And making scratch cards available throughout the country would only promote the habit of impulse buying.
As such, scratch cards could end up becoming a major factor that can make the issue of problem gambling more prevalent across the country. Recalling his experience with his counseling clients in the past, Grant remarked that he has met a huge number of people who were struggling with the problem of spending hundreds of dollars every week only on scratch cards! With more and more people buying scratch cards with money they cannot afford, personal debts are also on an all-time rise.
The PLI or Premier Lotteries Ireland is currently owned and operated by a pension fund based out of Toronto, with the erstwhile state operator An Post holding a minority stake in it. According to a report published by a local media house, the company is mulling over a proposition of adding a new set of over 320 retailers to its existing comprehensive network of National Lottery within the next two years.
However, the chief executive officer at a charitable organization called Problem Gambling Ireland, and an addiction counselor, Barry Grant, has expressed his views on the proposed expansion majorly targeting the rural areas by saying that it could actually have a negative effect on the population of the country.
Barry said that while lottery ticket draws fall on the far end of the risk factor scale of gambling, the scratch cards bring with them an instant gratification factor which makes them quite similar to the hardcore casino gaming on slot machines. He further added that the scratch cards are far more addictive and harmful as compared to traditional lottery draws with a majority of the purchases for the former falling under the category of impulse buying. And making scratch cards available throughout the country would only promote the habit of impulse buying.
As such, scratch cards could end up becoming a major factor that can make the issue of problem gambling more prevalent across the country. Recalling his experience with his counseling clients in the past, Grant remarked that he has met a huge number of people who were struggling with the problem of spending hundreds of dollars every week only on scratch cards! With more and more people buying scratch cards with money they cannot afford, personal debts are also on an all-time rise.
Donald Trump personal aide John McEntee sacked over gambling habit
President Donald Trump’s personal assistant, John McEntee, lost his White House job this week because an investigation found he was a frequent gambler whose habit posed a security risk, according to two people familiar with his departure.
A background investigation found that Mr McEntee bet tens of thousands of dollars at a time, making him unsuitable for a sensitive position close to the President, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. There was no indication his gambling was illegal, but there was concern that the 27-year-old could be vulnerable to outside influence, the person said.
Mr McEntee declined to comment.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the concerns about Mr McEntee’s gambling.
Mr McEntee, who had been one of the first staffers to join the Trump campaign and served as the President’s “body man” after Mr Trump’s election, was escorted off the White House grounds on Monday after being notified that he was being let go. Mr McEntee was “very upset” to learn he was being terminated, according to one person and complained he had done nothing improper.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders earlier this week declined to offer an explanation for his departure, saying, “we don’t comment on personnel issues”.
Mr McEntee was a starting quarterback at the University of Connecticut and then worked as a production assistant at Fox News. He joined the Trump campaign as a volunteer in July 2015 after doggedly writing to the campaign’s website asking for a job. When no one responded, he offered to take a position responding to website email, according to Trump advisers. He eventually was hired as trip director, overseeing preparations for campaign events. “I bought into the message,” Mr McEntee told Bloomberg News in 2015 of his decision to join Mr Trump. “I was sick of the career politicians”.
After Mr Trump’s victory, Mr McEntee was named as the President’s special assistant and personal aide. When he joined the White House, he reported in his personal financial disclosure two primary assets: a bank account containing $100,000 (£71,680) to $250,000 and another containing $15,000 to $50,000.
Mr McEntee’s cousin, Zac McEntee, serves as personal assistant to treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Mr McEntee’s firing came as White House chief of staff John Kelly has sought to speed up the background investigations of staffers still awaiting security clearances.
Two White House advisers said they learned about Mr McEntee’s gambling habit after his dismissal. His hasty exit from the White House upset a number of staffers in the building, who described him as a loyal aide who deserved a more ceremonious departure.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump’s re-election committee announced that Mr McEntee would join the campaign as a senior adviser for operations.
A background investigation found that Mr McEntee bet tens of thousands of dollars at a time, making him unsuitable for a sensitive position close to the President, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. There was no indication his gambling was illegal, but there was concern that the 27-year-old could be vulnerable to outside influence, the person said.
Mr McEntee declined to comment.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the concerns about Mr McEntee’s gambling.
Mr McEntee, who had been one of the first staffers to join the Trump campaign and served as the President’s “body man” after Mr Trump’s election, was escorted off the White House grounds on Monday after being notified that he was being let go. Mr McEntee was “very upset” to learn he was being terminated, according to one person and complained he had done nothing improper.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders earlier this week declined to offer an explanation for his departure, saying, “we don’t comment on personnel issues”.
Mr McEntee was a starting quarterback at the University of Connecticut and then worked as a production assistant at Fox News. He joined the Trump campaign as a volunteer in July 2015 after doggedly writing to the campaign’s website asking for a job. When no one responded, he offered to take a position responding to website email, according to Trump advisers. He eventually was hired as trip director, overseeing preparations for campaign events. “I bought into the message,” Mr McEntee told Bloomberg News in 2015 of his decision to join Mr Trump. “I was sick of the career politicians”.
After Mr Trump’s victory, Mr McEntee was named as the President’s special assistant and personal aide. When he joined the White House, he reported in his personal financial disclosure two primary assets: a bank account containing $100,000 (£71,680) to $250,000 and another containing $15,000 to $50,000.
Mr McEntee’s cousin, Zac McEntee, serves as personal assistant to treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Mr McEntee’s firing came as White House chief of staff John Kelly has sought to speed up the background investigations of staffers still awaiting security clearances.
Two White House advisers said they learned about Mr McEntee’s gambling habit after his dismissal. His hasty exit from the White House upset a number of staffers in the building, who described him as a loyal aide who deserved a more ceremonious departure.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump’s re-election committee announced that Mr McEntee would join the campaign as a senior adviser for operations.
March 20, 2018
‘Fixing matches like nobody has done before’: Skenderbeu’s amazing tale
In Korce they love their football team and that is why, on 21 February, thousands of the Albanian city’s inhabitants gathered to sing for Skenderbeu. The rally stretched far down the main avenue, one placard standing out among scarves and banners. Its message was clear: “Do not kill our dream.”
Everything Skenderbeu have achieved is on the verge of being discredited by the most extraordinary match-fixing inquiry of all time. A leaked UEFA report has recommended the six-times national champions, who competed in the Europa League group stage this season, are banned from its competitions for an unprecedented 10 years; if the governing body’s control, ethics and disciplinary body agrees, almost a decade of progress will come to a shuddering halt.
UEFA has not made the report, written by two of its ethics and disciplinary inspectors, public but it has circulated widely in Albania. It brought the population of Korce to the streets and its contents are damning. It concludes Skenderbeu “has been fixing football matches like nobody has ever done before in the history of the game”, alleging the club have essentially operated as a vehicle for organised crime, and shines a light on the detail that underpins UEFA's match-fixing inquiries. UEFA did not confirm or deny the document’s authenticity.
Skenderbeu have previously received punishment for match-fixing, a year-long suspension from European competition served in 2016-17. That was upheld by the court of arbitration for sport (Cas), as an “administrative measure” in a two-step UEFA process; the current investigation forms the second stage and is part of a more serious “disciplinary measure”.
The suspension came after UEFA's betting fraud detection system (BFDS) identified 53 matches involving Skenderbeu – spanning friendlies, domestic fixtures and European club competitions – allegedly manipulated for betting purposes between November 2010 and April 2016. The case focused on four games: two from the 2015-16 Champions League qualifying rounds and two from that season’s Europa League group phase. Skenderbeu were, based largely on the BFDS’s processes, banned. The new report adds fresh evidence from a panel of coaches while employing an external company to reconfirm its findings in an effort to press the case for a more severe punishment.
Skenderbeu are accused of “manipulation attempts to obtain criminal betting profits on a stunning global scale”, earning millions of dollars. The report alleges the club have “no respect for the integrity of the game” and that they contrived a highly organised structure intended to harvest huge sums through gambling. It is an allegation the club have denied.
“KF Skenderbeu’s legal department is following the necessary procedures for the issue in question and expresses confidence that the case will be closed successfully,” read part of a statement after the report’s existence became known.
The report argues two group games, at Sporting Lisbon and at home to Lokomotiv Moscow, are of particular concern. Skenderbeu lost 5-1 and 3-0 respectively, both matches’ outcomes following rapidly escalating betting patterns almost to the letter.
The former saw a flurry of “exuberant and illogical” bets made for six or more goals to be scored with Sporting 4-0 up late on; the latter, according to the report, became subject to a rush of highly suspicious, and accurate, bets when Skenderbeu were a goal down with five minutes left. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing from Skenderbeu’s opponents.
The best-known of the ties is a Champions League second qualifying round, second leg against Northern Irish side Crusaders on 21 July 2015. Skenderbeu had won the home fixture 4-1 and went 2-1 up in the return. There followed what the report terms “some outrageous suspicious live betting” totalling “a minimum of several hundreds of thousands of dollars”; Skenderbeu ran scant risk of losing the tie at this stage and conceded twice in the last 10 minutes, with Crusaders also having two goals disallowed. A tweet from Crusaders’ goalkeeper, Sean O’Neill – “If there is not a UEFA investigation into our game tonight, then there is something wrong” – is among the evidence submitted.
The BFDS uses algorithms and mathematical models to assess betting movements around games, which are “escalated” for further examination if irregular patterns appear. Skenderbeu have had more than twice as many games escalated as any other club since the system’s inception in 2009. UEFA has enlisted a British firm to conduct anonymised analysis of betting data from 10 of those games; the results bore almost total similarity to those of the BFDS and are central to the report’s conclusion.
Another cornerstone will be the findings of an “expert panel” whose members included Leicester City assistant manager Michael Appleton. They were asked to review incidents from alleged “appalling” and “embarrassing” play against Crusaders to “a few suspicious moments” in another cited game against Dinamo Zagreb.
The situation allegedly developed after Agim Zeqo was appointed Skenderbeu president in January 2010. At that point the club risked relegation. They survived, proceeding to win the league five years running; the report shows the first of their games to be “escalated” occurred in November 2010.
Zeqo said: “I vehemently deny that any match-fixing occurred during my tenure as KF Skenderbeu’s president. I stand ready to face such allegations openly in public, including any court of law if necessary.”
Current Skenderbeu president, Ardjan Takaj, who succeeded Zeqo in 2012, and former Albanian finance minister Ridvan Bode are said to have been influential to the alleged scheme. The latter is stated by the report to have been a key donor. He allegedly holds “the power, the connections and the knowledge to influence Skenderbeu’s matches, and ... has done so over the years”.
Takaj is accused of targeting friendlies for illegal gain and using relationships with Skenderbeu players to impact their on-pitch actions. A labyrinthine section of the report focuses on Takaj’s business dealings, exploring links between Skenderbeu and betting companies in which he allegedly is, or has been, involved.
Both men deny match-fixing. Bode said he had never supported Skenderbeu financially. He said the allegations were made with “reckless ease” and continued: “I was never part of and have never been aware of any attempt to influence any match’s result.”
Takaj said the allegations about his business involvement were “decontextualised”, and continued: “I have never been involved, directly or indirectly, in any activities aiming to manipulate the outcome of the match, neither [have] persons related to me.”
The 40-year-old goalkeeper Orges Shehi, whom the report alleges profited from match-fixing through his actions, remains in the team. Defender Tefik Osmani, accused similarly, is still around too and both issued denials. Shehi said: “I believe in the values of sport and of sportsmanship and have tried all my career to give an example for the next generations.” Osmani said: “I completely deny these allegations.”
Takaj is determined to clear the club’s name: “A 10-year sentence is in practice a capital punishment.”
It does not help Skenderbeu that Albania’s football federation last year stripped the club of its 2015‑16 title, also deducting 12 points for 2016-17, for match-fixing at national level. Another appeal to Cas is believed to be pending.
A further strand of the report’s argument is that, since the Cas hearing in July 2016, no Skenderbeu matches have been escalated. Skenderbeu must wait for UEFA's decision and came under the spotlight when the governing body announced last month that its disciplinary inspectors had received death threats after the report was leaked. The club distanced itself from those but they underlined the unsavoury nature of the case.
A letter by Sotiraq Filo, mayor of Korce, to UEFA's president Aleksander Ceferin, concluded by asking Ceferin and UEFA not to “kill the resurrected hope of an entire nation for football”. If Skenderbeu are found guilty this time, then responsibility will lie closer to home.
Everything Skenderbeu have achieved is on the verge of being discredited by the most extraordinary match-fixing inquiry of all time. A leaked UEFA report has recommended the six-times national champions, who competed in the Europa League group stage this season, are banned from its competitions for an unprecedented 10 years; if the governing body’s control, ethics and disciplinary body agrees, almost a decade of progress will come to a shuddering halt.
UEFA has not made the report, written by two of its ethics and disciplinary inspectors, public but it has circulated widely in Albania. It brought the population of Korce to the streets and its contents are damning. It concludes Skenderbeu “has been fixing football matches like nobody has ever done before in the history of the game”, alleging the club have essentially operated as a vehicle for organised crime, and shines a light on the detail that underpins UEFA's match-fixing inquiries. UEFA did not confirm or deny the document’s authenticity.
Skenderbeu have previously received punishment for match-fixing, a year-long suspension from European competition served in 2016-17. That was upheld by the court of arbitration for sport (Cas), as an “administrative measure” in a two-step UEFA process; the current investigation forms the second stage and is part of a more serious “disciplinary measure”.
The suspension came after UEFA's betting fraud detection system (BFDS) identified 53 matches involving Skenderbeu – spanning friendlies, domestic fixtures and European club competitions – allegedly manipulated for betting purposes between November 2010 and April 2016. The case focused on four games: two from the 2015-16 Champions League qualifying rounds and two from that season’s Europa League group phase. Skenderbeu were, based largely on the BFDS’s processes, banned. The new report adds fresh evidence from a panel of coaches while employing an external company to reconfirm its findings in an effort to press the case for a more severe punishment.
Skenderbeu are accused of “manipulation attempts to obtain criminal betting profits on a stunning global scale”, earning millions of dollars. The report alleges the club have “no respect for the integrity of the game” and that they contrived a highly organised structure intended to harvest huge sums through gambling. It is an allegation the club have denied.
“KF Skenderbeu’s legal department is following the necessary procedures for the issue in question and expresses confidence that the case will be closed successfully,” read part of a statement after the report’s existence became known.
The report argues two group games, at Sporting Lisbon and at home to Lokomotiv Moscow, are of particular concern. Skenderbeu lost 5-1 and 3-0 respectively, both matches’ outcomes following rapidly escalating betting patterns almost to the letter.
The former saw a flurry of “exuberant and illogical” bets made for six or more goals to be scored with Sporting 4-0 up late on; the latter, according to the report, became subject to a rush of highly suspicious, and accurate, bets when Skenderbeu were a goal down with five minutes left. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing from Skenderbeu’s opponents.
The best-known of the ties is a Champions League second qualifying round, second leg against Northern Irish side Crusaders on 21 July 2015. Skenderbeu had won the home fixture 4-1 and went 2-1 up in the return. There followed what the report terms “some outrageous suspicious live betting” totalling “a minimum of several hundreds of thousands of dollars”; Skenderbeu ran scant risk of losing the tie at this stage and conceded twice in the last 10 minutes, with Crusaders also having two goals disallowed. A tweet from Crusaders’ goalkeeper, Sean O’Neill – “If there is not a UEFA investigation into our game tonight, then there is something wrong” – is among the evidence submitted.
The BFDS uses algorithms and mathematical models to assess betting movements around games, which are “escalated” for further examination if irregular patterns appear. Skenderbeu have had more than twice as many games escalated as any other club since the system’s inception in 2009. UEFA has enlisted a British firm to conduct anonymised analysis of betting data from 10 of those games; the results bore almost total similarity to those of the BFDS and are central to the report’s conclusion.
Another cornerstone will be the findings of an “expert panel” whose members included Leicester City assistant manager Michael Appleton. They were asked to review incidents from alleged “appalling” and “embarrassing” play against Crusaders to “a few suspicious moments” in another cited game against Dinamo Zagreb.
The situation allegedly developed after Agim Zeqo was appointed Skenderbeu president in January 2010. At that point the club risked relegation. They survived, proceeding to win the league five years running; the report shows the first of their games to be “escalated” occurred in November 2010.
Zeqo said: “I vehemently deny that any match-fixing occurred during my tenure as KF Skenderbeu’s president. I stand ready to face such allegations openly in public, including any court of law if necessary.”
Current Skenderbeu president, Ardjan Takaj, who succeeded Zeqo in 2012, and former Albanian finance minister Ridvan Bode are said to have been influential to the alleged scheme. The latter is stated by the report to have been a key donor. He allegedly holds “the power, the connections and the knowledge to influence Skenderbeu’s matches, and ... has done so over the years”.
Takaj is accused of targeting friendlies for illegal gain and using relationships with Skenderbeu players to impact their on-pitch actions. A labyrinthine section of the report focuses on Takaj’s business dealings, exploring links between Skenderbeu and betting companies in which he allegedly is, or has been, involved.
Both men deny match-fixing. Bode said he had never supported Skenderbeu financially. He said the allegations were made with “reckless ease” and continued: “I was never part of and have never been aware of any attempt to influence any match’s result.”
Takaj said the allegations about his business involvement were “decontextualised”, and continued: “I have never been involved, directly or indirectly, in any activities aiming to manipulate the outcome of the match, neither [have] persons related to me.”
The 40-year-old goalkeeper Orges Shehi, whom the report alleges profited from match-fixing through his actions, remains in the team. Defender Tefik Osmani, accused similarly, is still around too and both issued denials. Shehi said: “I believe in the values of sport and of sportsmanship and have tried all my career to give an example for the next generations.” Osmani said: “I completely deny these allegations.”
Takaj is determined to clear the club’s name: “A 10-year sentence is in practice a capital punishment.”
It does not help Skenderbeu that Albania’s football federation last year stripped the club of its 2015‑16 title, also deducting 12 points for 2016-17, for match-fixing at national level. Another appeal to Cas is believed to be pending.
A further strand of the report’s argument is that, since the Cas hearing in July 2016, no Skenderbeu matches have been escalated. Skenderbeu must wait for UEFA's decision and came under the spotlight when the governing body announced last month that its disciplinary inspectors had received death threats after the report was leaked. The club distanced itself from those but they underlined the unsavoury nature of the case.
A letter by Sotiraq Filo, mayor of Korce, to UEFA's president Aleksander Ceferin, concluded by asking Ceferin and UEFA not to “kill the resurrected hope of an entire nation for football”. If Skenderbeu are found guilty this time, then responsibility will lie closer to home.
February 19, 2018
Investigation into KF Skënderbeu
UEFA is presently conducting an investigation into the involvement of the Albanian club KF Skënderbeu in match-fixing. The investigation is largely based on data gathered via UEFA's Betting Fraud Detection System (BFDS).
KF Skënderbeu were previously banned from participating in UEFA competitions in the 2016/17 season due to involvement in match-fixing. This ban was recently upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Additional information obtained via the UEFA BFDS now suggests a far greater pattern of involvement by KF Skënderbeu in match-fixing. Consequently, UEFA will now seek a longer ban for this club.
Today, UEFA Disciplinary Inspectors working on this case have received anonymous death threats, presumably intended to intimidate them and stop them carrying out their work. These threats will not succeed and the police have also been informed.
UEFA remains fully committed to the fight against match-fixing and all UEFA staff working on these crucial matters can count on the full support of the organisation.
This message was reiterated today by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, who stated:
"We will never allow UEFA staff working on these matters, or any other matters, to be subject to threats or intimidation from any third parties. They have the full backing of the organisation, including 100% personal support from me."
KF Skënderbeu were previously banned from participating in UEFA competitions in the 2016/17 season due to involvement in match-fixing. This ban was recently upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Additional information obtained via the UEFA BFDS now suggests a far greater pattern of involvement by KF Skënderbeu in match-fixing. Consequently, UEFA will now seek a longer ban for this club.
Today, UEFA Disciplinary Inspectors working on this case have received anonymous death threats, presumably intended to intimidate them and stop them carrying out their work. These threats will not succeed and the police have also been informed.
UEFA remains fully committed to the fight against match-fixing and all UEFA staff working on these crucial matters can count on the full support of the organisation.
This message was reiterated today by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, who stated:
"We will never allow UEFA staff working on these matters, or any other matters, to be subject to threats or intimidation from any third parties. They have the full backing of the organisation, including 100% personal support from me."
February 08, 2018
Ander Herrera conscience 'clear' after Spain match-fixing case reopened
Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera has said his conscience remains clear after match-fixing allegations were reopened in Spain.
Real Zaragoza's 2-1 win against Levante on May 21, 2011 has been investigated by Spain's anti-corruption prosecutors' office over payments related to alleged match fixing.
Herrera, who played for Zaragoza at the time, may face trial after the case was reopened by a judge in Valencia.
The timescale remains unclear and the 28-year-old maintains his innocence, with his representative reissuing a statement first released in December 2014.
It said: "I have never had and will never have anything to do with manipulating match results.
"If I am ever called to testify in any judicial hearing, I'll be happy to attend, as my conscience is totally clear.
"I love football and I believe in fair play, both on and off the pitch."
Real Zaragoza's 2-1 win against Levante on May 21, 2011 has been investigated by Spain's anti-corruption prosecutors' office over payments related to alleged match fixing.
Herrera, who played for Zaragoza at the time, may face trial after the case was reopened by a judge in Valencia.
The timescale remains unclear and the 28-year-old maintains his innocence, with his representative reissuing a statement first released in December 2014.
It said: "I have never had and will never have anything to do with manipulating match results.
"If I am ever called to testify in any judicial hearing, I'll be happy to attend, as my conscience is totally clear.
"I love football and I believe in fair play, both on and off the pitch."
February 01, 2018
Lottery winner dies weeks after cashing in $1 million scratch-off ticket
A New York man who struck it big with a scratch-off lottery ticket died just weeks after he claimed the prize.
It was a lucky start to 2018 for 51-year-old Donald Savastano, a Queens native who was living upstate in Sidney. He played the New York Lottery's "Merry Millionaire" game and won $1 million.
"This is going change our lives, to tell you the truth," Savastano said when he picked up his winnings.
The self-employed carpenter shared some plans he had in mind for how he was going to spend the money, saying most of it was going to fund his retirement.
"I'm probably going to go get a new truck and I don't know probably go on vacation," Savastano said.
The plans also included a trip to the doctor, because he couldn't afford to go previously.
"He was self-employed," said Danielle Scott, who works at the store where he bought the winning ticket. "He didn't have insurance, he hadn't been feeling good for a while, I guess, and when he got the money he went into the doctor."
The news wasn't good. He learned he had stage four cancer.
"He had a friend come and talk to me, and they told me that he was very sick and that he had brain and lung cancer and that he was in the hospital and they didn't think he was gonna make it," Scott said.
Savastano died Friday, 23 days after he won the lottery.
"I was hoping that the money was maybe going to save his life," Scott said.
Savastano's obituary said he was born in Queens and grew up on Long Island. He became a carpenter after working with and learning from his father as a child.
"He was known for his high-quality work and perfectionism. He always tried to reach out and help those he could by teaching them "the right way to do things," his family wrote in the obituary.
It was a lucky start to 2018 for 51-year-old Donald Savastano, a Queens native who was living upstate in Sidney. He played the New York Lottery's "Merry Millionaire" game and won $1 million.
"This is going change our lives, to tell you the truth," Savastano said when he picked up his winnings.
The self-employed carpenter shared some plans he had in mind for how he was going to spend the money, saying most of it was going to fund his retirement.
"I'm probably going to go get a new truck and I don't know probably go on vacation," Savastano said.
The plans also included a trip to the doctor, because he couldn't afford to go previously.
"He was self-employed," said Danielle Scott, who works at the store where he bought the winning ticket. "He didn't have insurance, he hadn't been feeling good for a while, I guess, and when he got the money he went into the doctor."
The news wasn't good. He learned he had stage four cancer.
"He had a friend come and talk to me, and they told me that he was very sick and that he had brain and lung cancer and that he was in the hospital and they didn't think he was gonna make it," Scott said.
Savastano died Friday, 23 days after he won the lottery.
"I was hoping that the money was maybe going to save his life," Scott said.
Savastano's obituary said he was born in Queens and grew up on Long Island. He became a carpenter after working with and learning from his father as a child.
"He was known for his high-quality work and perfectionism. He always tried to reach out and help those he could by teaching them "the right way to do things," his family wrote in the obituary.
December 29, 2017
The True Story Behind ‘Molly’s Game’ Is Wild
Remember that crazy time when a hopeful Olympian-class skier named Molly Bloom received a debilitating back injury thanks to a lone stick in some snow? The same skier who years later would end up running an illegal, but high-profile gambling ring in LA? The same high-profile gambling ring that hosted celebs like Ben Affleck, Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio? The same DiCaprio that acted in movie about the Irish mob...but has nothing to do with the actual Russian mob that beat Molly within inches of her life? Oh, and that same life that was nearly destroyed by the FBI that came rushing in to shut her shit down? Remember that time? I sure as hell didn’t, and can still barely believe it after having seen Molly’s Game. Come Christmas Day, this story will be immortalized for everyone else to question thanks to director and writer Aaron Sorkin.
And yes, it’s pretty good, but the movie still left me with questions. In my attempt to understand this story that comes off as some drunkard's fable, I spoke the woman herself, Molly Bloom. I needed the whole thought process behind this scary and insane ride. How has she grown since then? And is Tobey Maguire (aka Spiderman) still the same dick as Molly’s Game shows him to be?
This film was very intimate and very truthful. Almost like a visual diary. What was it like to see those flawed parts of your life displayed so honestly?
Molly Bloom: Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed an extraordinary film. A lot of what makes it so special is that he allowed my character to be me, to be flawed. He allowed for an honest and complex picture of what it’s like to just be a human being and make choices. I gotta say, there’s something very cathartic for me about first coming out with my book, and then telling on yourself and living through that. I kept a lot of the dirt to myself before the film, but after working eight months with Aaron, I really kinda came clean. Between the novel and working with Aaron, I’ve probably did 20 years worth of therapy (laughs).
And you had to have some initial fears about the project before it came out. This was going to be all about you.
Well it was I that pursued Aaron specifically because in writing the book, I had left a huge mess of my life and a big part of that was knowing that my mom had to put her house up just to help me with my legal bills. And my criminal attorney, much like in the film, personally vouched for me for $250,000 that I didn’t have and it saved my butt. So it wasn’t just my life I was trying to save, it was also the people that were important to me. When I took in the personal inventory after the wreckage I had caused, the story itself seemed like the most monetizable asset so that I could be closer to paying these people back. So here I was after writing this book, going around Hollywood asking anyone if they could get me a meeting with Aaron and they’re just laughing at me (laughs). I just wanted to try, so once we met, everything changed once he was on board. He fought hard for this story that wasn’t about a girl that falls in love. It didn’t have cliche themes. He just wanted to tell an honest story and put his career on the line for having us interact at all, because no one wanted to touch this because of the famous people involved. There was a fear in Hollywood.
You could have ruined a lot of lives with what you knew. One of the things that seemed so telling was how much you were willing to fall on your own sword. And good people were telling you otherwise. Where was your resolve coming from?
I made these choices. I made the choice to go into the world of underground poker. I profited from it, and these people enabled me to profit from it. When I met the consequences for those choices, the consequences including losing all of my money and facing jail time. And it really felt like, if I turned around and threw all these people under the bus, I would never have been able to get my integrity back and that would’ve been a life sentence. That didn’t compare to the life sentence of knowing that I made this really terrible choice and ruined lives.
Throughout this whole thing, you had that moral fibre which is honestly weird given the stereotypes of illegal gambling. Like collecting debts for instance, you never resorted to violence. How did you wrestle with those potential decisions business-wise?
Taking full responsibility and accountability was the secret here. I had to do my job properly. Sure, if I had figured out a way to have private investigators get information from banks, I could have found pretty much anything on anyone. So if I was doing my job, there would be no reason that I couldn’t collect. So when someone stiffed me, nine times out of 10, it was my fault. I ate it, I mean what was I going to do? I didn’t have any traditional resources, and I wasn’t a bank so I wasn’t going to intimidate anyone either (laughs). My main responsibility was in vetting these players and making sure they were capitalized, and that was the key to not getting stiffed. The very worst time I got screwed ended up costing me $250,000 and that really hurt. But I wrote the check, what are you gonna do?
Full names were never mentioned too, despite the fact we know about people like Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire participated in your gambling ring.
Yeah. When I sat down to write a book I was like, how do I do this in a way that still tells a compelling story without doing too much harm. Most of the names were already in the public domain from the Bradley Ruderman ponzi scheme. I got rejected by every publisher except for one because they wanted the real dirt. They knew I had more, and of course I did. But I was like look, I’ll mention the names that have already been mentioned and I’ll give it colour, but I’m not going down that road where I tell things that would sell books but also hurt people in the process.
You really did have that dirt. I don’t generally hang with celebrities but you saw a lot of private sides to them. Did your view of that whole celebrity culture change from before to after this whole experience?
Well there’s that first night when you walk into a game, and being in my early 20s from a small town, and seeing very famous people in the flesh, it’s jarring. It just feels weird. But it normalizes really quickly when you see that people are just people. And very quickly, the game was my startup in terms of building a business. Celebrities were assets to me. And yeah, maybe you and I don’t have this big fantasy about celebrities at this stage, but it matters. People want to sit at a table with them, be close to them, and this was a big draw to the game. The whole system took on a new meaning to me when I was looking at it through the lens of building a business.
And we gotta talk about the instance of you being roughed up by a section of the Russian mob after you turned down an offer for protection. Most people would have left at that point. But you continued with the intent to eventually get out. Honestly, how far would you have gone if the FBI and such never stepped in?
Wow...I think it would have been a really bad ending honestly. That was a really dark thing that happened during the darkest time of my life. I just think that the enemy within me was more formidable than the enemy without at the time because I kept going. I had very little regard for my safety or my life, and I was just like, no, I gotta run more games. Gotta collect more money. Who am I without this thing? I can’t go back to being a nobody. Those things eclipsed basic survival, and I had this really deep, dark awareness that my life was out of control. And as a final blow, there came the FBI...but maybe it was a good thing at the end of the day.
So has your perspective on success or wealth changed since this experience?
Oh my god, absolutely. When I was making the most money, at the top of my game, driving Bentleys and all that, I felt so existentially empty. All these ideas I had as a kid about making a lot of money—about being hyper successful and life being good. I now know that not to be true. And I’m not knocking success or ambition, that’ll always be a part of me, but I know for sure that I did it all wrong in my former life. I know for sure that you have to re-define power as power that comes from within. Success needs to be more comprehensive and attached to something with meaning. What I did was bold, I was damn good at it, and I was successful but none of it was important. It meant nothing. I was enabling people’s addictions and I felt lives come apart. All that external adulation came from growing up with two impressive brothers and a father that was really focused on that idea that I needed to build myself on the outside in. That I needed to seek applause or approval from the world. That’s a sure way to feel really miserable (laughs).
So level with me. Is there any aspect of that life that you still miss?
For a long time...I grieved over [the] glamour of that life. It’s been seven years though, and this is a pretty exciting moment for me. It feels similar in that you take a big risk, and you put in the time, and the stakes are super high while you just wait and see.
What do you want people to take away from your personal story of ups and downs based on where you are now? Let’s put the movie aside.
I would want them to know that when your life falls apart, or it feels like you’re never going to get where you need to go that it’s not over. It’s not even close to being over. Keep getting up and showing up. The human spirit is so resilient and failure teaches you so much. This was the theme for me in 2011, because when this whole thing blew up, there was a deep fear that nothing was ever going to be okay, and now, it’s so much more than okay. There was for a long time. I grieved that life for a long time. But it has been seven years and this is a pretty exciting moment. This is a moment that feels sort of similar in that you take a big risk, and you put in time, the stakes are super high, and you wait and see.
So you did this thing and you were damn good at it, despite that illegal part. What do you plan on doing from here?
I kinda want to take a look at the skill set that I had acquired from this experience and all that I had learned throughout these years and apply it in a way that has actual meaning. Something that centres around what’s important to me. Building a community and collaborating with other ambitious women is a really interesting area to me. I was always able to network and build environments, and a co-working space for women with a digital layer on top is really interesting. And i have to say, not at the exclusion of men. My brand of feminism is not supremacy, it’s equality. But I recognize the power in shared experiences.
So going back to the film, what was that one thing that surprised you the most when seeing your life reflected back on film?
I just...couldn’t believe how someone could take this information I had given, and recreate it so well in such a compelling fashion. Seeing it come to life was amazing. It’s like Aaron was there. He didn’t deviate from the truth. A lot of films in this biopic category play with a lot of creative licenses, and yes, there was some of that in terms of how he dealt with certain composite characters, but the rest was all true. He found a way to weave it all together.
So last question. Did Tobey Maguire ever reach out to you for treating you like shit and essentially asking you to bark like a seal for a tip?
(laughs) No, but it's OK though.
Can you ever look at this guy as Spiderman the same way again?
I haven't even tried (laughs).
And yes, it’s pretty good, but the movie still left me with questions. In my attempt to understand this story that comes off as some drunkard's fable, I spoke the woman herself, Molly Bloom. I needed the whole thought process behind this scary and insane ride. How has she grown since then? And is Tobey Maguire (aka Spiderman) still the same dick as Molly’s Game shows him to be?
This film was very intimate and very truthful. Almost like a visual diary. What was it like to see those flawed parts of your life displayed so honestly?
Molly Bloom: Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed an extraordinary film. A lot of what makes it so special is that he allowed my character to be me, to be flawed. He allowed for an honest and complex picture of what it’s like to just be a human being and make choices. I gotta say, there’s something very cathartic for me about first coming out with my book, and then telling on yourself and living through that. I kept a lot of the dirt to myself before the film, but after working eight months with Aaron, I really kinda came clean. Between the novel and working with Aaron, I’ve probably did 20 years worth of therapy (laughs).
And you had to have some initial fears about the project before it came out. This was going to be all about you.
Well it was I that pursued Aaron specifically because in writing the book, I had left a huge mess of my life and a big part of that was knowing that my mom had to put her house up just to help me with my legal bills. And my criminal attorney, much like in the film, personally vouched for me for $250,000 that I didn’t have and it saved my butt. So it wasn’t just my life I was trying to save, it was also the people that were important to me. When I took in the personal inventory after the wreckage I had caused, the story itself seemed like the most monetizable asset so that I could be closer to paying these people back. So here I was after writing this book, going around Hollywood asking anyone if they could get me a meeting with Aaron and they’re just laughing at me (laughs). I just wanted to try, so once we met, everything changed once he was on board. He fought hard for this story that wasn’t about a girl that falls in love. It didn’t have cliche themes. He just wanted to tell an honest story and put his career on the line for having us interact at all, because no one wanted to touch this because of the famous people involved. There was a fear in Hollywood.
You could have ruined a lot of lives with what you knew. One of the things that seemed so telling was how much you were willing to fall on your own sword. And good people were telling you otherwise. Where was your resolve coming from?
I made these choices. I made the choice to go into the world of underground poker. I profited from it, and these people enabled me to profit from it. When I met the consequences for those choices, the consequences including losing all of my money and facing jail time. And it really felt like, if I turned around and threw all these people under the bus, I would never have been able to get my integrity back and that would’ve been a life sentence. That didn’t compare to the life sentence of knowing that I made this really terrible choice and ruined lives.
Throughout this whole thing, you had that moral fibre which is honestly weird given the stereotypes of illegal gambling. Like collecting debts for instance, you never resorted to violence. How did you wrestle with those potential decisions business-wise?
Taking full responsibility and accountability was the secret here. I had to do my job properly. Sure, if I had figured out a way to have private investigators get information from banks, I could have found pretty much anything on anyone. So if I was doing my job, there would be no reason that I couldn’t collect. So when someone stiffed me, nine times out of 10, it was my fault. I ate it, I mean what was I going to do? I didn’t have any traditional resources, and I wasn’t a bank so I wasn’t going to intimidate anyone either (laughs). My main responsibility was in vetting these players and making sure they were capitalized, and that was the key to not getting stiffed. The very worst time I got screwed ended up costing me $250,000 and that really hurt. But I wrote the check, what are you gonna do?
Full names were never mentioned too, despite the fact we know about people like Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire participated in your gambling ring.
Yeah. When I sat down to write a book I was like, how do I do this in a way that still tells a compelling story without doing too much harm. Most of the names were already in the public domain from the Bradley Ruderman ponzi scheme. I got rejected by every publisher except for one because they wanted the real dirt. They knew I had more, and of course I did. But I was like look, I’ll mention the names that have already been mentioned and I’ll give it colour, but I’m not going down that road where I tell things that would sell books but also hurt people in the process.
You really did have that dirt. I don’t generally hang with celebrities but you saw a lot of private sides to them. Did your view of that whole celebrity culture change from before to after this whole experience?
Well there’s that first night when you walk into a game, and being in my early 20s from a small town, and seeing very famous people in the flesh, it’s jarring. It just feels weird. But it normalizes really quickly when you see that people are just people. And very quickly, the game was my startup in terms of building a business. Celebrities were assets to me. And yeah, maybe you and I don’t have this big fantasy about celebrities at this stage, but it matters. People want to sit at a table with them, be close to them, and this was a big draw to the game. The whole system took on a new meaning to me when I was looking at it through the lens of building a business.
And we gotta talk about the instance of you being roughed up by a section of the Russian mob after you turned down an offer for protection. Most people would have left at that point. But you continued with the intent to eventually get out. Honestly, how far would you have gone if the FBI and such never stepped in?
Wow...I think it would have been a really bad ending honestly. That was a really dark thing that happened during the darkest time of my life. I just think that the enemy within me was more formidable than the enemy without at the time because I kept going. I had very little regard for my safety or my life, and I was just like, no, I gotta run more games. Gotta collect more money. Who am I without this thing? I can’t go back to being a nobody. Those things eclipsed basic survival, and I had this really deep, dark awareness that my life was out of control. And as a final blow, there came the FBI...but maybe it was a good thing at the end of the day.
So has your perspective on success or wealth changed since this experience?
Oh my god, absolutely. When I was making the most money, at the top of my game, driving Bentleys and all that, I felt so existentially empty. All these ideas I had as a kid about making a lot of money—about being hyper successful and life being good. I now know that not to be true. And I’m not knocking success or ambition, that’ll always be a part of me, but I know for sure that I did it all wrong in my former life. I know for sure that you have to re-define power as power that comes from within. Success needs to be more comprehensive and attached to something with meaning. What I did was bold, I was damn good at it, and I was successful but none of it was important. It meant nothing. I was enabling people’s addictions and I felt lives come apart. All that external adulation came from growing up with two impressive brothers and a father that was really focused on that idea that I needed to build myself on the outside in. That I needed to seek applause or approval from the world. That’s a sure way to feel really miserable (laughs).
So level with me. Is there any aspect of that life that you still miss?
For a long time...I grieved over [the] glamour of that life. It’s been seven years though, and this is a pretty exciting moment for me. It feels similar in that you take a big risk, and you put in the time, and the stakes are super high while you just wait and see.
What do you want people to take away from your personal story of ups and downs based on where you are now? Let’s put the movie aside.
I would want them to know that when your life falls apart, or it feels like you’re never going to get where you need to go that it’s not over. It’s not even close to being over. Keep getting up and showing up. The human spirit is so resilient and failure teaches you so much. This was the theme for me in 2011, because when this whole thing blew up, there was a deep fear that nothing was ever going to be okay, and now, it’s so much more than okay. There was for a long time. I grieved that life for a long time. But it has been seven years and this is a pretty exciting moment. This is a moment that feels sort of similar in that you take a big risk, and you put in time, the stakes are super high, and you wait and see.
So you did this thing and you were damn good at it, despite that illegal part. What do you plan on doing from here?
I kinda want to take a look at the skill set that I had acquired from this experience and all that I had learned throughout these years and apply it in a way that has actual meaning. Something that centres around what’s important to me. Building a community and collaborating with other ambitious women is a really interesting area to me. I was always able to network and build environments, and a co-working space for women with a digital layer on top is really interesting. And i have to say, not at the exclusion of men. My brand of feminism is not supremacy, it’s equality. But I recognize the power in shared experiences.
So going back to the film, what was that one thing that surprised you the most when seeing your life reflected back on film?
I just...couldn’t believe how someone could take this information I had given, and recreate it so well in such a compelling fashion. Seeing it come to life was amazing. It’s like Aaron was there. He didn’t deviate from the truth. A lot of films in this biopic category play with a lot of creative licenses, and yes, there was some of that in terms of how he dealt with certain composite characters, but the rest was all true. He found a way to weave it all together.
So last question. Did Tobey Maguire ever reach out to you for treating you like shit and essentially asking you to bark like a seal for a tip?
(laughs) No, but it's OK though.
Can you ever look at this guy as Spiderman the same way again?
I haven't even tried (laughs).
December 21, 2017
Slovenian and Croatian police arrest 11 in cross-border raids on match-fixing gang
Slovenian and Croatian polices yesterday swooped on an international match-fixing crime syndicate making 11 arrests after 13 house searches and impounding 15 vehicles in both countries.
Those arrested are accused of organised crime, sports corruption and illegal betting. The charges include multiple counts of fixing professional matches in Serbia, the Czech Republic and Romania.
Slovenian media is reporting that one of those arrested is 43-year-old Dino Lalić, supposedly a member of the criminal ‘gypsy clan’ gang. A former professional goalkeeper who played for several Slovenian clubs, Lalić has been convicted of match-fixing previously but earned a lesser sentence after co-operating with police.
The arrests came after the police had tracked the gang via a number of illegal web betting platforms used to place large bets with Asian bookmakers. Most bets, according to a Europol report, were being placed on the final result of matches.
Using the illegal betting platforms members of the group transferred money through various virtual currency exchanges, including Skrill and Paysafe. Money won via the bets was transferred to an internet bank and then on to different off-shore shell companies.
“The ring developed synergies with other top criminal groups in different countries in order to invest money gained from other serious crimes, including drug trafficking,” said Europol.
As well as the arrests the police seized 35 computers and IT devices, 32 mobile phones, €19,650 in cash, 38,500 of counterfeit euro banknotes and two vehicles.
Investigators first began tracking the crime ring last March, with the Slovenian taking the lead, supported by Europol’s analytical resources and neighbouring police forces. Europol stressed the need for cross-border co-operation in what is becoming a more sophisticated criminal activity.
Sergio D’Orsi, a specialist in Europol’s Analysis Project Sports Corruption, said: “Sports Corruption is a serious crime and a truly global phenomenon carried out by organised crime groups, most often operating cross-border.
“This international investigation has shown the level of sophistication reached by certain criminal networks involved in sports corruption which use new modus operandi to generate large illegal profits and invest money also coming from other serious crimes. International police cooperation is fundamental to disrupt such criminal networks.
Darko Majhenič, Director of National Bureau of Investigations of the Slovenian Police said: “Slovenian Police is committed to pursue corruption in sport and Illegal betting in the region. Cooperation among Europol member countries and support of Europol have helped our skilled investigators to handle the workload. Investigators all over Europe will benefit from evidence gathered today.”
Those arrested are accused of organised crime, sports corruption and illegal betting. The charges include multiple counts of fixing professional matches in Serbia, the Czech Republic and Romania.
Slovenian media is reporting that one of those arrested is 43-year-old Dino Lalić, supposedly a member of the criminal ‘gypsy clan’ gang. A former professional goalkeeper who played for several Slovenian clubs, Lalić has been convicted of match-fixing previously but earned a lesser sentence after co-operating with police.
The arrests came after the police had tracked the gang via a number of illegal web betting platforms used to place large bets with Asian bookmakers. Most bets, according to a Europol report, were being placed on the final result of matches.
Using the illegal betting platforms members of the group transferred money through various virtual currency exchanges, including Skrill and Paysafe. Money won via the bets was transferred to an internet bank and then on to different off-shore shell companies.
“The ring developed synergies with other top criminal groups in different countries in order to invest money gained from other serious crimes, including drug trafficking,” said Europol.
As well as the arrests the police seized 35 computers and IT devices, 32 mobile phones, €19,650 in cash, 38,500 of counterfeit euro banknotes and two vehicles.
Investigators first began tracking the crime ring last March, with the Slovenian taking the lead, supported by Europol’s analytical resources and neighbouring police forces. Europol stressed the need for cross-border co-operation in what is becoming a more sophisticated criminal activity.
Sergio D’Orsi, a specialist in Europol’s Analysis Project Sports Corruption, said: “Sports Corruption is a serious crime and a truly global phenomenon carried out by organised crime groups, most often operating cross-border.
“This international investigation has shown the level of sophistication reached by certain criminal networks involved in sports corruption which use new modus operandi to generate large illegal profits and invest money also coming from other serious crimes. International police cooperation is fundamental to disrupt such criminal networks.
Darko Majhenič, Director of National Bureau of Investigations of the Slovenian Police said: “Slovenian Police is committed to pursue corruption in sport and Illegal betting in the region. Cooperation among Europol member countries and support of Europol have helped our skilled investigators to handle the workload. Investigators all over Europe will benefit from evidence gathered today.”
December 12, 2017
Premier League star 'banned by bookmaker after spending £5.5 million in a matter of months'
A Premier League star has been banned from a bookmaker after spending £5.5MILLION in a matter of months, according to reports.
The footballer has not been named but is believed to earn around £100,000 a week.
He was spending upwards of £250,000 a week via online casino games on a popular betting website before the alarm was raised.
The firm, which has not been named either, has now shut down his account.
A source told the Sun on Sunday: "He was deemed a compulsive gambler and it was flagged up to managers.
"The total cash that went through his account was more than £5.5million.
"Most sites love it when punters are depositing such amounts frequently.
"But when someone’s doing it at this rate people get worried."
It comes as a number of footballers have opened up about problems with gambling.
Former stars Clarke Carlisle and John Hartson are among those who agree action must be taken to help addicts.
The Professional Players Federation said earlier this week the situation is at "crisis" point.
The organisation also urged "responsible bookmakers" to ensure sponsorship agreements with a sport include provision for mandatory education for participants about the risks of problem gambling.
The footballer has not been named but is believed to earn around £100,000 a week.
He was spending upwards of £250,000 a week via online casino games on a popular betting website before the alarm was raised.
The firm, which has not been named either, has now shut down his account.
A source told the Sun on Sunday: "He was deemed a compulsive gambler and it was flagged up to managers.
"The total cash that went through his account was more than £5.5million.
"Most sites love it when punters are depositing such amounts frequently.
"But when someone’s doing it at this rate people get worried."
It comes as a number of footballers have opened up about problems with gambling.
Former stars Clarke Carlisle and John Hartson are among those who agree action must be taken to help addicts.
The Professional Players Federation said earlier this week the situation is at "crisis" point.
The organisation also urged "responsible bookmakers" to ensure sponsorship agreements with a sport include provision for mandatory education for participants about the risks of problem gambling.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)