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by Glenn Baird - January 20, 2020
Hamilton Academicals head coach, Brian Rice has reported himself to the Scottish Football Association and admitted to breaching betting laws 5 times between 2015 and 2019.
Rice has previously admitted to suffering from gambling addiction and will now face a hearing taking place on January the 30th.
The rule he has been accused of breaching states that “no club, official, team official or other member of team staff, player, match official or other person under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA shall gamble in any way on a football match”.
Rice will face a suspension hat will range between 3 and 16 matches and could be fined up to £100,000.
In an official statement Rice has said: “I would like to express my regret to the players, coaching staff and my friends and colleagues,” before going on to say:
“This decision was one of the hardest I have had to take, but in a way also the easiest,” he said. “I have made no secret of the fact that I have struggled with the disease that is gambling addiction in the past.
“The reality is I am an addict and, while I have been proud of the fact I have been in recovery from this disease, a key part of the recovery programme is honesty: honesty to myself and honesty to those who have and who continue to support me, including my family and my football family at Hamilton.”
It has been reported that Rice went to the SFA himself and essentially turned himself in, admitting to the breaches:
“I wrote a letter to the Scottish FA self-reporting my gambling and did so as an admission that my disease has returned in order that I commit to recovery,” he said.
“I accept that a breach of the rules will come with punishment and I accept that. The reason I am speaking out is to remove the stigma attached to this horrible, isolating disease in the hope that those involved in Scottish football who are similarly in its grasp feel they can seek help and draw strength from my admission.
“After committing to recovery I cannot believe that I have found myself back in the grip of gambling addiction, but this disease is not cured with a finite course of treatment.”
Rice will be hoping that news of his gambling breach will not impact negatively on the team, who are currently second bottom in the SPL, 5 points clear of bottom placed Hearts.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland sits to the north-west of mainland Europe. The United Kingdom shares a border with The Republic of Ireland and has coasts on the Atlantic Ocean, Celtic Sea, North Sea, Irish Sea and English Channel. The population of the UK is approaching the 67.6 million mark leading to a fairly densely populated land mass. The gambling sector in the United Kingdom is entirely regulated and licensed by the UKGC – the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. Should players resident In the UK wish to gamble with foreign based operators there is no history of this being treated as a criminal offence, but high levels of protection exist for UK residents playing with UK licensed operators.
Disclaimer:
The above information is what we believe to be the the legal status of online gambling, however information on this topic is limited and hard to find. We accept no liability for any errors or ommissions. It is the reader’s responsibility to ensure that they know the legality of online gambling in their country before engaging with any online gambling service.