An amateur club footballer from New Zealand’s Central League has been provisionally suspended for allegedly breaching the sports betting regulations.
Both New Zealand Football (NZF) and the TAB are refusing to reveal the identity of the player, his club, or the betting amounts involved because the matter remains under investigation.
If the player is found to have breached Central League rules on gambling they face up to a two-year ban from having any involvement in NZF competitions.
The Central League is an amateur club competition involving 10 teams from the lower half of the North Island. The top teams from the Northern, Central and South Island leagues then contest the National League.
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NZF has confirmed the player will remain provisionally suspended while an investigation is concluded into the alleged breach.
“The player’s activity was discovered as part of New Zealand Football’s integrity programme and information sharing partnership with TAB NZ,” NZF said in a statement.
“All players involved in New Zealand Football’s National League have to complete mandatory integrity training and are prohibited from gambling on the competition.”
TAB NZ has told Stuff it cannot comment about the specific case as the investigation is ongoing but confirmed it recently began taking bets on the Central League.
“We have traditionally offered betting on New Zealand’s National League and some Chatham Cup fixtures.
“More recently, we have provided some markets on the Northern, Central and Southern Leagues where sufficient information is available.
“We take bets on these competitions so we can increase the financial returns to national sporting organisations such as New Zealand Football, while also providing a regulated betting environment,” TAB NZ said in a statement.
“TAB NZ’s relationships and exchange of information with the national sporting organisations means a more robust oversight of betting on New Zealand sports, as opposed to overseas wagering providers who do not necessarily share this information with the national sporting organisations.”
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