Former Republic of Ireland international Tony Cascarino has issued a warning to players that they may be breaking Football Association rules by betting on football matches.
The warning comes in the wake of reports that a top Premiership player placed a £200,000 wager on the outcome of the Bolton versus West Ham game on March 11th.
While the player in question was not involved in the game, FA rules still state that players must not use their position within the game to acquire or supply information for betting and Cascarino thinks that players who bet on games could be breaking these rules.
"It's nice to have an advantage by speaking to your mates and although it doesn't guarantee you are going to win, it does give you the edge," Cascarino told the News of the World.
"The players will have the team meal, their manager will name his side and then they phone their mates at other clubs and feed them the news so armed with that knowledge, they get on the phone to the bookies with that advantage."
While most of the rules governing betting by players are aimed at preventing match-fixing, betting on other games is apparently common among players.
Bruce Grobbelaar was the most high-profile footballer in recent times to be caught accepting money to fix matches and Cascarino thinks today's footballers need to be careful.
"I reckon about 50 per cent of players like a flutter on other matches."
"The anonymity of online gambling has added to the appeal for players and just after midday on a Saturday is peak time."
The footballer who bet on the Bolton versus West Ham game would have won a large sum after Bolton ran out 4-1 winners
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