Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has lifted a country-wide ban on sports betting advertising.

Noboa, who took office in January and is seen as broadly pro-business, lifted the ban which had been in place since 2023.

The ban had been controversial, particularly among sports organizations such as the Ecuadorian Professional Soccer League (LigaPro), which were denied a crucial revenue stream from the advertisements.

The move breaks from a general trend in the global regulatory landscape as many countries seek to implement and enforce restrictions on gambling advertising. The issue has become contentious ahead of the upcoming Australian election, while in the United Kingdom, Premier League soccer clubs have voluntarily agreed to phase out gambling shirt sponsorship.

a grey market has emerged to fill the void

The lifting of the advertising ban comes as part of a new overall regime concerning gambling in Ecuador. Gambling has been banned since a 2011 referendum, leading to a familiar situation in much of South America where a grey market has emerged to fill the void.

While the country is still short of a fully licensed and regulated market, there have been moves in that direction, with a system implemented earlier in the year requiring operators to register with Ecuador’s revenue services and pay tax on their earnings.

Noboa is expected to continue moving toward legalization, although there remains significant opposition in Ecuador. Earlier in the year, the President also floated the idea of legalizing casinos, although the idea was ultimately withdrawn.

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My wife and I often call a happy surprise “like finding $20 in your jacket pocket.” Well, this story is the opposite of that.

On November 22, 2023, a Las Vegas gambler bet $200 on massive longshot golfer Joel Moscatel Nachshon to win the first round of the 2023 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship. He was going off at +20000 at the William Hill Sportsbook.

Moscatel did, in fact, win the first round with a course record-tying 63 and eventually finished seventh in the tournament.

William Hill told him it made a mistake when it posted the odds

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the gambler had the bet slip from his online sportsbook account, which showed that he won $40,200. But when he went to cash it in, William Hill told him it made a mistake when it posted the odds. Instead, the sportsbook said, the odds should have been +400, so it paid him $1,000 in winnings.

A patron dispute hearing officer with the Nevada Gaming Control Board heard arguments from both parties last Thursday and will deliver a recommendation to the Board.

William Hill said that, according to its terms and conditions, it reserves the right to correct any “obvious” errors.

The customer said that his gambling account showed the $40,200 in winnings for five days after the golf event concluded.

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Iconic basketball player Shaquille O’Neal has signed on as brand ambassador for DraftKings despite his role as a pundit for NBA on TNT, which has rival sportsbook operator FanDuel as a major sponsor.

The popular personality announced the move on X, posting a video of him throwing a ball into a basket while sitting down, dubbing himself “Mr. DraftKings” in the 17-second-long clip:

DraftKings Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Sherman welcomed the 52-year-old to the team and mentioned how his “personality and unparalleled energy will elevate our brand through various marketing initiatives all NBA season.”

appearing in ads for PointsBet in Australia and acting as a brand ambassador for WynnBET

O’Neal is no stranger to endorsing products, having appeared in a long list of commercials over the years promoting everything from cereal to cruises. This includes other sports betting brands, with the NBA Hall of Famer appearing in ads for PointsBet in Australia and acting as a brand ambassador for WynnBET.

Shaq isn’t the only major NBA star who’s also a DraftKings ambassador, with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James signing a multi-year deal with the Boston-based company in February.

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Save the youth

Dallas Cowboys’ co-owner Charlotte Jones has called for Texas to legalize online sports betting in order to save vulnerable young people from the risks of using apps offered by the unregulated market. 

remove threatening “bad actors”

The Cowboys Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer said in a CBS interview she supports legalizing the vertical in Texas as it would remove threatening “bad actors.”  

Media personality Bill Jones interviewed Jones for CBS News and shared a clip on X in which the Cowboys exec expressed her concern that unauthorized betting firms were preying on youth in the state:

The daughter of legendary Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said people in Texas “don’t understand” the risk of offshore operators and that a regulated market is needed to protect them. 

All about the apps

Jones said that apps provided by illegal operators are “targeting” Texas schoolkids.?

“They’re going direct to them in this black market and allowing them to participate in this gambling where they don’t have to prove their age and they don’t have to verify anything,” Jones warned.?

“They then find themselves in a trap they can’t get out of.”

Jones added that the motive for a legal market with restrictions would be “so our kids can become safe.”

As chief overseer of the Cowboys marketing department and all brand strategies and applications, Jones also has the background to appreciate the wider potential of a legal Texas sports betting market. Citing Pennsylvania’s haul of $640m in tax revenue over five years that the state plowed “back into the community,” Jones posed a question. 

“Just think if we had that money here in Texas, think about what that could mean for so many things for us that are important to Texans,” Covers cited her as stating.   

In the opposing corner

Jones hopes her backing can alter Texans’ perspectives on sports betting, but the buck currently stops at Senate level in the form of Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. 

While Patrick has opposed gambling proposals in the past, high-profile lobbyists at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas recently said they believe the chances of Texas approving a legal gambling market in 2025 is 50%.

They were, however, talking about a legal casino market. Jones nevertheless remains hopeful a sports betting bill will also cross the line and voters get a say because “it’s our decision as Texans how we think our state should be regulated.”

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DCMS secretary allays fears

The UK Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has given those whose livelihoods depend on gaming a boost. She has claimed widely-covered reports that the government is planning a major tax hike in gambling taxes are untrue.??

essentially calling it fake news

DCMS Secretary Lisa Nandy poured cold water over a weekend report in The Guardian that the Labour government was considering a ￡3bn ($3.90bn) tax raid on the gambling sector, essentially calling it fake news.?

“You can’t believe everything that you read in the papers,” Nandy replied on Thursday to a question regarding the tax hike rumors as she joined fellow DCMS ministers in a House of Commons question time on Thursday.

Not only did Nandy scoff at the rumor, she also made a point of stressing Labour was aware of the value of the gambling industry and its importance to the UK economy. 

The DCMS Secretary added the government was also aware of the joy the gambling sector brings “to many, many people, and the employment prospects that it offers to people in every nation and region of the United Kingdom.”

Words of encouragement

Nandy’s words take some of the sting out of the alleged misreporting that led to almost ￡3bn ($3.92bn) being wiped off the value of UK gambling stocks. 

Monday’s stock shocker came after high-profile executives including Flutter Entertainment’s Peter Jackson, Betting and Gaming Council’s Grainne Hurst, and the British Horseracing Authority’s (BHA) Julie Harrington warned the tax hikes could cause the gambling industry serious harm.?

Nandy was asked what plans Labour had to reform gambling tax and affordability checks

Nandy’s responses to questions in House of Commons question time appeared to play down the execs’ fears of a Treasury tax hike, while she also had reassuring words for the BHA and the horseracing industry in general. Government support for the horseracing sector is up for debate in parliament next week and, as such, Nandy was asked what plans Labour had to reform gambling tax and affordability checks. 

According to The Racing Post, the culture secretary confirmed the Thursday debate in Westminster Hall while asserting the horseracing industry is worth ￡4bn ($4.3bn) to the economy and that her government “certainly takes it incredibly seriously.”

An appreciation for the sector

Nandy reinforced her horseracing background by stating The Tote, a firm owned by a consortium of 150 investors that operates the world’s largest online pool betting website, was based in her Greater Manchester constituency of Wigan.

The fact that the firm is headquartered in the Manchester-born Nandy’s constituency, she stated, gives her: “an insight into the industry, which I have had a relationship with for many years.”

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West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paquetá is still awaiting the outcome of an English Football Association (FA) investigation into allegations that he intentionally got yellow cards during four Premier League games.

an internal investigation to identify who gave information to media outlets

The Brazilian took to social media on Thursday to express his frustrations about the leaking of confidential details regarding the probe. He called on the association to conduct an internal investigation to identify who gave information to media outlets.

The 27-year-old explained how many news reports in Brazil and England, citing a source close to the matter, contain misleading and inaccurate information which he said “appears designed to undermine my position.”

Paquetá believes these inaccurate reports make it difficult for him to receive a fair hearing. He concluded the message by maintaining his innocence and expressing his desire to clear his name.

The investigation into his alleged match-fixing began in August 2023, and the FA charged him in May with numerous offenses. He reportedly faces a lifetime ban from the game if he is ultimately found guilty following a hearing in March 2025. The Brazil international continues to play for West Ham, scoring twice so far this season in the league.

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INTERPOL has revealed the results of a worldwide crackdown on illegal soccer gambling, which resulted in over 5,100 arrests and the seizure of $59m.

The SOGA X operation took place in June and July to specifically combat illegal online betting on the UEFA 2024 tournament; the police organization worked alongside law enforcement in 28 nations and territories.

rescue of hundreds of human trafficking victims

Some other positive outcomes of the operation were the closure of thousands of illegal online platforms, the uncovering of major money laundering operations, and the rescue of hundreds of human trafficking victims.

INTERPOL helped dismantle a gambling operation in Vietnam that handled $800,000 per day and used an intricate network of e-wallets and bank accounts to manage the payments. Another major win was in Thailand, where raids on two locations led to the seizure of assets worth more than $9m.

The biggest case of human trafficking was in the Philippines, where the authorities helped over 650 victims who were given false promises of employment at a scam center that also focused on illegal gambling. These people had to work against their will.

Talking about the success of the operation, INTERPOL Police Services Executive Director Stephen Kavanagh said it was not possible without “global information sharing and significant efforts by law enforcement authorities on the ground.”

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The NBA is still reeling from former Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter’s ban for feigning injuries to exit games early to win prop bets. The league is now bolstering its integrity protocols, banning cell phone use courtside.

players routinely breached it without any consequences

The previous rule dictated that coaches and players may not use phones or social media within 45 minutes of the beginning of a game and until they complete their media duties post-game. While this restriction was in place, players routinely breached it without any consequences.

SYN reporter Ian Begley reported that the rule change aims to improve the integrity of games and keep everyone focused on the game at hand. Every team will have a single staff member allowed to carry an emergency phone.

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Magistrate withdraws

A hearing into an Australian teacher accused of running a gambling syndicate with his students has collapsed after the sitting magistrate was heard to have said he “could not wait” to find him guilty.

Wollongong High teacher Phil Saunders is accused of indecent assault of a person under his authority, indecent assault of a person under 16, intimidation, and engaging in gambling with a minor.

could not wait for the matter to be over and to find the accused guilty”

However, the hearing has collapsed after magistrate Michael Ong recused himself from the process after a police officer reported that Ong had said to a prosecutor he “could not wait for the matter to be over and to find the accused guilty and move onto the next thing.”

Underage gambling ring

The court had heard 29 days of evidence suggesting that amid accounts of indecent assault, Saunders was also running a gambling ring with several of his students.

Witnesses reported seeing a whiteboard displaying bets on English Premier League soccer games, next to which were the names of individual students.

money was collected from students and placed on the desk of the teacher

It was also stated that money was collected from students and placed on the teacher’s desk, although witnesses did not report seeing Saunders collect the cash.

One of Saunders’ colleagues also stated that Saunders is a die-hard Liverpool FC fan and enjoys betting on horse racing at the weekends. In response, Saunders stated that he only bet on racing, and never soccer.

The case had already taken an unusual turn when a friend of Saunders, Milos Dobre, pleaded guilty earlier in the year to intimidating witnesses after threatening one of his colleagues in a car park.

Magistrate denies conversation

The hearing soon became jeopardized when Ong became aware of a written statement from a police officer, who had spoken out of court to a prosecutor who claimed Ong was desperate to pass a guilty verdict.

Ong rejected the report of his conversation, stating: “I deny any of the words against the accused in this matter attributed to me in the statement. I do not hold a bias towards the accused now or at any time … I do not accept any bias before these proceedings.”

Ong declared that the hearing would have to be dropped due to public perception

Despite the assertation, Ong declared that the hearing would have to be dropped due to public perception and confidence in the justice system.

“The overriding consideration is the public’s confidence in the system of justice as it applies to them,” said Ong. “The public’s confidence would be more affected by the continuation with potential bias.”

Despite legal bills for the case running in excess of AU$400,000 ($268,700), a new hearing will now take place, which is expected to take around thirty days to finalize.

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Friedkin close to sealing the deal

Everton Football Club’s lifeline looks to finally have arrived. After years of struggle and turmoil under the ownership of Egyptian businessman Farhad Moshiri, The Friedkin Group (TFG) is said to have finally agreed a takeover of the English Premier League (EPL) club pending regulatory approval.

When/if this deal gets rubber-stamped, ten of the 20 EPL clubs will be under US ownership, as England’s elite scour the world for ambitious, affluent owners with the means and desire to take their club forward.

if, for example, those American owners start to exert influence on the game’s governing bodies…

The fact that this scramble to find the owners with the deepest pockets has led stateside is not a problem in and of itself, but there is potential for it to become one. If, for example, those American owners start to exert influence on the game’s governing bodies in England – the FA and the Premier League – in particular around rule changes, things could get interesting.

One club, one vote in the EPL

Let’s not forget, in top-level American sports, there is no such thing as promotion and relegation. Teams are not defined as clubs but as franchises, and some move from city to city based on the whim of the owners and where there is demand for a sports franchise.

If, and it remains an if, said American owners of English EPL clubs had an effective voting majority – which is 14 of the 20 clubs on a one-club, one-vote basis – then there would be nothing the others could do to prevent any proposed rule changes.

in US sports, draws are pretty much non-existent

That could, therefore, signal the end of promotion and relegation – the very cornerstone of the English soccer pyramid – and even the prospect of drawn games. In US sports, draws are pretty much non-existent and games that are tied at the end of regular time are invariably decided by overtime or, in the case of MLB (baseball), extra innings.

Two-thirds majority needed

As things stand, this is not an issue. There would need to be another four EPL clubs with American ownership before they would have the ability to vote en bloc and get a two-thirds majority, but once the Friedkin/Everton deal goes through, that day edges ever closer. ???????

Famous American sports stars such as Tom Brady and LeBron James have also got their foot firmly in the door of the EPL.?

Worth noting at this point is that the sale of the majority stake in Everton, from Moshiri’s Blue Heaven Holdings to TFG, is still technically incomplete. It remains subject to approval by the regulators of the English game – including the EPL, the Football Association (FA), and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – but appears almost certain to go through.

eight Championship clubs that are either fully or majority-owned by US entities

This is also a good time to remind ourselves that there are no less than eight Championship clubs that are either fully or majority-owned by US entities. These include Leeds United, Burnley, and West Bromwich Albion, who are all among the favorites to get promoted to the EPL this season.

Fourteen is the magic number

If any, or all, were to win promotion and line up in the 2025-26 EPL, that would edge the number ever closer to the magic 14.

Even in League One – the third tier of English soccer – there are five clubs with American ownership, including Birmingham City and Wrexham, whose owners have both declared the EPL as their ultimate destination.

For a full list of EPL and English Football League (EFL) clubs with US ownership see below:

What sticks out most from the above table is the sheer number of clubs in the top four tiers of the pyramid who now trade off the back of US investment. 26 of the 92 are now either majority-owned or wholly owned by US individuals and/or organizations.

This, without a doubt, leaves both the EPL and the EFL – whose voting system differs from the EPL – potentially vulnerable to US influence if those from across the pond opt to stick together and vote accordingly.

More Americanisms in the EPL?

The biggie would, of course, be if the US majority decided to vote en masse to end the principle of promotion and relegation. But there are plenty of other Americanisms that could be added to the English game, such as halftime shows, rotating substitutions, cheerleaders, and some games being played in the US.

Quite how accepting of such changes would English soccer fans be is questionable but, even in the recent past, they have been generally resistant to major change. Never was this more evident than, in 2021, when the so-called “big six” – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur – openly declared an interest in joining a European Super League (ESL).

vociferous protests from English fans that brought an end to the project

The announcement was met with widespread opposition from players, managers, coaches, clubs, UEFA, FIFA, and even some governments, but it was the vociferous protests from English soccer fans that finally ended the project before it had even begun.

Any tampering with the rules, especially core fundamentals like promotion and relegation, would likely be met with similar levels of resistance.

Money talks in elite-level soccer

Much will depend on the proximity of these US owners to the EPL “coalface” or, more pertinently, their remoteness. Those with their finger on the pulse of English soccer will understand its tradition and core values, while those who remain strictly US-based may continue to see it as being ripe for bringing in line with a US sporting ethos.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have already proven that Hollywood and English soccer can work together, after taking over Wrexham:

This sport, at its most elite level, is awash with money, and, as we all know, money talks. If the power brokers and moneymen (and women) can identify ways of making it ever more lucrative and have the ability and will to make it happen, then never underestimate their capacity for ignoring all outside noise.

English soccer fans have long since felt ignored and unloved by the EPL and the big TV companies. They also know that, given the huge sums involved, there’s little they can do about it other than make their voices heard.

If this US “invasion” continues, they may soon have another big fight on their hands.

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Despite losing an on-the-spot wager with teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jack Grealish was all smiles after England’s 3-1 victory against Finland in the UEFA Nations League.

The Manchester City winger opened the scoring at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on Sunday, but was quick to pay tribute to Alexander-Arnold’s cracking top-corner free-kick in a post-match interview, also revealing he gave the Liverpool ace some added on-field motivation.?

Soccer super agent Fabrizo Romano took to X citing Grealish telling ITV that he promised the England left back: “I’ll give you 500 quid if you score this:”

Alexander Arnold sent Grealish, his teammates, and the England fans wild when he curled a free kick into the Finland goal in the 74th minute. “So I owe him now,” said Grealish, acknowledging his ￡500 ($653) debt.?

team under pressure after a 1-2 defeat to Greece at Wembley last week

The goal put England 2-0 ahead, breathing a collective sigh of relief into a team under pressure after a 1-2 defeat to Greece at Wembley last week. Despite a late Finland goal, Grealish said England “were gutted to concede,” he admitted Lee Carsley’s team “needed a win.”

While Alexander-Arnold’s goal eased his team’s nerves, his defending left some critics in disbelief. Manchester United midfield legend Roy Keane stated “I still can’t believe how bad he is defensively. Against better teams, he’ll get found out.” 

“When you give Trent time” Keane acknowledged, however, “his delivery is fantastic.”

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The NCAA has released the results of a new study looking at the harassment college athletes, coaches, and officials get on social media.

The research looked at the results from recent championship events across six sports using an artificial intelligence-based algorithm to detect messages. The model uncovered that about one in five posts were deemed abusive, with 12% relating to sports betting.

female athletes participating in the basketball tournament received triple the amount of abuse

About 80% of the 72,000 flagged messages were during March Madness; female athletes participating in the basketball tournament received triple the amount of abuse compared to male players. One, in particular, was subject to over 1,400 negative messages in just two weeks.

The resulting NCAA report explained that this type of activity can lead to mental health challenges and impact the person’s ability to perform professionally and personally.

It warned that even if people receiving these messages say they are okay, that isn’t necessarily the case. NCAA President Charlie Baker said the organization plans to “exhaust all options to reduce the harassment and vitriol student-athletes are experiencing too often today.”

The Threat Matrix AI model broke down the abusive messages into 16 categories, including racism, sexual harassment, and violence. The spread was roughly equal across volleyball, softball, football, gymnastics, basketball, and baseball.

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