GAA chiefs on red alert for player betting against their own county

A top GAA official has admitted the association is looking out for the ‘ultimate red flag’ of a player or manager betting against their own team.

GAA games administration director Fergal McGill confirmed there’s no rule against players or managers betting on games.

And he said he has yet to come across anecdotal evidence of a GAA figure betting against a game he is involved in.

But he insisted that the association remains vigilant for suspicious activity, having produced a set of gambling guidelines for players last year.

That document cites a Gaelic Players Association study that found nearly a quarter of players believed ‘there is a gambling problem amongst GAA players generally’.

“By and large, with regard to players and managers, what we’d be watching out for is evidence of betting on one’s own team to lose,” said McGill. “That’s the ultimate red flag for us.

“That’s when you’re getting into questioning the integrity of the sport. Thankfully, there’s no anecdotal evidence that it’s happening though we’d always ask managers and players to be responsible generally.

“And I would be pretty strong on directing people to our set of gambling guidelines which we published this time last year. It’s quite player-centred but the core principles relate to the game generally and everyone involved.”