Betway ends all football transfer markets

Betway has confirmed that it will no longer publish betting markets related to football player transfers, with the decision due to be enforced across all operating territories.  

The bookmaker’s decision follows two high-profile disputes involving former Premier League players Daniel Sturridge (ex-Liverpool FC) and Kieran Trippier (ex-Tottenham Hotspurs), however is reportedly not connected to any ongoing FA disputes.

This March, the FA handed Daniel Sturridge a four-month ban and a £75,000 fine for breaching betting rules, in which it deemed that the former England striker had passed ‘insider information’ to family members instructing them to wager on his transfer to Sevilla FC – a deal that never materialised. 

Meanwhile in May, England full-back Kieran Trippier was charged by the FA for ‘misconduct in relation to betting breaches’ after it was found that he leaked information to ‘close friends’ on his summer 2019 transfer to Atletico Madrid.

Trippier now has until June 26 to respond to claims that he breached FA betting regulations.

Under its ‘E8 betting rules‘, the FA states that all registered professionals (athlete and club management) shall not bet  ‘either directly or indirectly, or instruct, permit, cause or enable any person to bet on the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect in connection with, a football match or competition’. 

The FA underlined that its E8 betting rules are applied to all types of football bets, without limitations including the transfer of players, team selection, disciplinary issues and employment of managers. 

Betway has urged bookmaker counterparts to follow suit and close all transfer related markets.  

Alan Alger Head of Corporate Communications stated: “The FA have strict rules on betting and we feel that offering odds on players to move to specific clubs highlights a grey area which has caused issues in the past. It is best removed as an option.

“When there are hundreds of prices and markets offered on most games, this is part of the football betting experience that we are happy to see shut down.”