In October, Juventus midfielder Nicolò Fagioli received a modified 12-month suspension, with the suspension reduced by five months in favor of rehabilitation work with youth organizations related to gambling addiction. The suspension was the culmination of a wide-ranging case pursued by Turin prosecutors, where Fagioli, Sandro Tonali and Nicolò Zaniolo were investigated for online sports betting violations.
The occurrence of betting violations has become more frequent. Sandro Tonali, who left Serie A for the Premier League ahead of the 2023/24 season, received a 10-month league suspension, including a rehabilitation program. Tonali had just joined Newcastle and the timing of the news came close to the announcement of Newcastle’s new betting partnership with American BetMGM.
The Las Vegas-based gaming and hospitality company has led the expansion of online sports betting in the US for the past five years and has now moved into the European market through a betting subsidiary in the United Kingdom. This is a new trend that we will probably see more of.
As the online betting industry grows in the United States, more viewers will tune into the major European soccer leagues, in turn creating more incentives for American brands to sponsor European teams. Already, in the years since the US legalized online sports betting at the state level in 2018, many US online sports betting brandsincluding BetMGM, Caesar’s Palace and DraftKings, have acquired European sports betting companies to strengthen their positions both domestically and internationally.
The timing of BetMGM’s partnership with Newcastle highlights the difficult relationship between online gambling and professional sports, a relationship we can expect to grow. On the one hand, there is the promotion of online betting aimed at fans and, on the other, the protection of players from their own gambling impulses.
In the cases of Fagioli, Tonali and Zaniolo, the betting violations did not include betting on their matches but gambling in general. Fagioli, for example, had accumulated more than 3 million euros in debt, which had seriously affected his mental health and his performance on the field. Juventus FC recently signed an agreement with Eurobet to become the main betting partner, and Newcastle’s main sponsors are all betting companies, including the American BetMGM.
It is not only European football leagues that are fighting these problems. In April, the NFL in the United States suspended three players for the entire season after they were caught betting on NFL games during the 2022/23 season. Four other players were banned from the season openers after violating the NFL’s betting policy. Similar incidents have been recorded in most American sports, including at the collegiate level. Following these incidents, the NFL issued a rule change in September, establishing stricter rules and longer suspensions for players who violate playing policy.
Basically, everywhere you look – leagues, continents, and across all ages – there is the paradox of marketing and advertising sports betting while simultaneously controlling and combating the unwanted side effects of gambling among professional athletes. League officials and executives regularly talk about upholding the integrity of sports; However, in light of recent events, it is difficult to take them seriously.
