Betway is, for many, the best online bookmaker in the United Kingdom. This bookmaker is known for a wide betting market that spans into the smallest details of football matches, which makes it a very popular option for football lovers.
In its betting market, the bookmaker once offered betting on football transfers. That was a very popular category that yielded a lot of revenue. But, in 2021, Betway decided to shut it down for a few reasons.
Upon its shutdown, the bookmaker hoped that all the other bookmakers would do the same. Not just in the UK, but worldwide. As the Premier League restarted a season due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Betway announced its decision. The reason behind this decision is the transfers that involved Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool’s striker, and Kieran Trippier, an English defender.
Why Did Betway Shut Down Football Transfers Betting?
Alan Alger, the spokesman of this company, says that football transfers can be fixed and known long before they happen. To be precise, no one can guarantee that the players who are going to be transferred didn’t talk about it to their family, relatives, or friends.
If someone knows about the transfer before it happens, he/she can place a completely safe bet and get money. It’s like betting on the fixed outcome. Alan Alger states that Betway wasn’t hit by these cases so far. However, he wants to prevent this from happening in the future.
Betway has a pretty strong reputation in the UK, and if it offered betting on something like this, it could have serious consequences. Furthermore, Alan thinks that, if other bookmakers join in on the bandwagon, it will help protect the players.
He hopes that many other bookmakers and/or players will support his decision, stating that a small profit loss is a good price to pay for potential problems that may occur.
Will the Players Who Speak About Transfers Be Fined?
Yes, they will, and the aforementioned players have already faced the consequences of their actions. Trippier, for example, was charged by the FA in May for breaching several rules regarding transfers. Allegedly, he gave out this information in May 2019, right before he moved from Tottenham Hotspur to Atletico Madrid in July.
According to the Rule E8(1)(b), the player must not give out ANY information related to the football match, transfer, or any other factor that he learned by virtue of his position, and that is not publically available at the particular time.
Due to this rule, Sturridge was also fined after talking to his brother about the transfer that happened in 2018. To remind you, that was his transfer from Liverpool to Sevilla.
As we can see, betting on this market sometimes isn’t fair. Who can guarantee that the millions of football players won’t talk about certain factors of this sport? Nevertheless, Betway reacted quickly and removed this betting market altogether.
At the moment, we’re at the summer transfer period which will not start until the end of July. This gives space for other bookmakers to react similarly to Betway. That is if they support this bold decision.
Passionate about sports from a very young age, I have been scouring sports betting sites for over 10 years. This allowed me to become a real expert in the field. It is this expertise that I will try to share through my posts, guides and analyzes on Gamblingking.co.uk.