Betting ban is needed to protect players, says GAA health manager

The introduction of a gambling ban is a necessary step to protect GAA players, according to the GAA's Community and Health manager Colin Regan.

The GAA’s health and wellbeing committee is to table a motion at next February’s Congress which, if passed, would prohibit players from betting on matches and competitions they are involved in. The committee is to meet next month to decide on the exact wording of the proposal, with Regan confirming that Croke Park top-brass have backed the initiative.

The GAA are also to approach leading betting companies in a bid to establish a memorandum of understanding and to determine how best to police this proposal.

“We have already established a memorandum of understanding with Betfair and we are in the process of broadening that MOU to other betting overseeing bodies that if there is ever suspicion of any type of suspicious betting, that the betting entity would work with us in giving us data and information that would support any investigations we might have to undertake,” said Regan.

“Whether or not that MOU will be brought down to an individual level of simply betting on a competition, that is something we would have to revisit."

Regan is confident that the motion will receive the necessary backing at Congress.

“From our work with clubs and counties this year, gambling is perceived as an issue that members are very keen to see some action on. There has never been a prevalence rate of gambling done at population level in Ireland. It is difficult therefore to give exact facts and figures to back up our work but we are sufficiently concerned from the anecdotal evidence we have received. This is something that the highest level of the association is determined to move on.

"We saw at the Olympics that there are policies in place with regard to gambling and a couple of the boxers fell foul of breaching that policy in Rio. The FA would have a similar policy in place for soccer players. So we think this is a move that will let players know that this is something we are very concerned about.

"We appreciate it will be hard to police. Taking the step will raise awareness that this is an issue that players need to be mindful of. This is the next step, as we see it, in terms of protecting our players in a pro-active way and protecting the integrity of our game.”