UK Footballer Gets Time-Out for Betting

Moffat made 150 bets total, seven of them on matches involving his own team.

Ayr United striker Michael Moffat has been given a six-match ban for violating football betting rules. Moffat is alleged to have placed seven bets involving his team during 2012 and 2013. He has not been accused of betting against Ayr. The report said that Moffat made 150 bets total.

Betting rules major in the US, in the UK not so much

American sports fans are generally shocked when they hear of footballers receiving six-game bans for betting on their own team. To bet on sports in America is expressly prohibited for players. American baseball player Pete Rose famously received a lifetime ban from the sport for placing bets.

The case says a lot about the difference in gambling markets on either side of the Atlantic. Sportsbooks enjoy massive popularity in the UK, and it is not considered a serious offense for players to place bets, even when their own team is involved.

By contrast online sportsbooks in America enjoy growing popularity but some states still ban them, and betting shops are hard to find in most places. The combination of gambling and sports is considered very taboo, one of the reasons why the city of Las Vegas has never had a major pro sports team.