FURY OVER FOOTBALL BOSSES’ SECRET BETTING MILLIONS
Officials silent on match stats deal
Scottish football officials have been criticised for refusing to reveal how much betting firms pay for match statistics.
The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) sells live match figures to bookies to be used for “in-play” betting.
The information allows punters to bet during matches on everything from the number of shots during a game to how many corners a team wins.
A study by Nottingham Trent University and Bilbao University found punters using “in-play” betting were more likely to become gambling addicts.
It is believed money paid to the
SPFL – which is done via a third party called Football DataCo – was worth about £ 4million last year. But latest accounts from the SPFL don’t mention the lucrative seven-figure deal.
The year previously, its accounts simply said selling “live” stats had grown revenue by £ 1.2million in one season.
Analysis of Football DataCo’s accounts indicated the figure would be close to £ 3million.
With the SPFL insisting the figure had grown again this year, it could mean it’s now worth £ 4million to the Scottish football authorities. Fans’ groups and former gambling addicts say the game’ s leaders should be more transparent on its reliance on the betting industry. Paul Goodwin, of the Scottish Football Supporters’ Association, said :“Betting in football has been normalised and we don’t think that’s right. Sadly, transparency doesn’t seem to be a thing the Scottish game does well.
“The fans should know how reliant on betting cash the game has become.
“Our concern is what impact Scottish football’s connections with the betting industry is having on supporters, particularly young fans.”
Former professional footballer Kevin Twaddle, who battled a gambling addiction, said the Scottish game had to change.
He said: “We’re burying our heads in the sand over how big a problem gambling has become in this country. In-play betting seems to be a big reason for this.
“No wonder the football authorities don’t want to tell us how much they’re getting from working with the bookies on this type of betting.”
Typically, harvesting match data sees scouts sent to all Scottish games. They use mobile devices to record incidents.
The information is immediately fed back to betting firms. The data allows them to alter their odds depending on what’s happening at the match. In November, it was revealed the SPFL’s chief executive Neil Doncaster had bagged a £ 91,000 wage increase, taking his pay packet to £388,000. The SPFL said the hike was due to his work in increasing commercial revenue.
Last week, the Engl ish Footbal l Association faced outrage for allowing Bet365 to broadcast FA Cup matches. The deal will not be renewed after the backlash.
The SPFL refused to comment on how much money the match stats had made it in the last year.
A spokesman for Football DataCo also refused to comment.
Fans deserve to know just how reliant on betting the game has now become