Can Amateur Sportspeople Bet on Themselves?

Sportspeople are a curious bunch. And that’s just in general. But what about when it comes to the connection with sports betting? We know that the sports betting world is a popular one in itself, with many people placing multiple wagers on their favourite sports teams and events throughout the year. And at the same time, we know that professional sportsmen and women cannot place bets on themselves or the events they are participating in. Obviously, they have a code of conduct in place that they must adhere to as professionals (although some still do bet, of course). But what about those competitors who are considered amateur sportspeople?

For example, look at all the people who have competed in the Olympics as amateur athletes or amateur jockeys for example. If they partake in an event and go up against others, is it possible for these players to legally place a sports wager on themselves? Are there certain rules that they need to contend with if so, and if not, why not? Plus, can they really be considered any different to professional players when it comes to links with insider information and match fixing efforts?

That’s what we aim to look at today – whether amateur sportspeople have the ability to legally place sports wagers on themselves. And if they are able to do so, what is the process to go through in order to do it?

What Is and Isn’t Allowed?

Generally speaking, it depends upon what sort of sports team or event is in question. For example, if you were to take a look at the world of boxing, then there are no rules in which boxers are restricted from betting on themselves, unless actually competing in the Olympics. Boxers are never allowed to bet against themselves, though. And this is something that is quite common when it comes to legally being able to bet on yourself. Horse jockeys can also bet on themselves, but never against their own horse.

In fact, multiple reports have risen over the past years of boxers wagering on themselves to win their opponent. (And as it happens, some boxers have actually had a punt against themselves as well, which leads us to querying how enforced the laws surrounding this are).

If you were to take a look at the Olympics event that takes place every four years though, this is filled with amateur boxers, swimmers, dressage competitors and so on. During the whole event, athletes who are competing are required to sign anti-betting documents, which restricts them from betting on themselves or their opponents. While the laws do not outrightly and expressly forbid the act of betting, it is not tolerated for a sportsperson to wager on a sport that they can directly influence. To put it bluntly, ethically it is 100% wrong.

There are various arguments surrounding why athletes competing at the Olympics aren’t able to gamble on themselves. Some people suggest that a wager placed by one of the big decision-makers could influence others to place the same sort of bet against their better judgement.

Perhaps Larry Periman put it in the best way when he said:

“…as a participant in a game, no athletes should ever gamble on his/her own game at all due to the perception of the game being influenced by others for monetary gain…”

In the same vein as amateur boxing, the British Horseracing Association (BHA) does not permit jockeys, whether professional or amateur, to bet against their horse to do well. In fact, fines and bans can be imposed by the body, and this has taken place in the past. And while some people may believe that such rules only apply to the owners of the horse(s), the trainers and the professional jockeys, they actually extend across to include even lesser connections alongside.

A Closer Look at Football Betting

Football betting is, of course, one of the most popular types of sports bets for players to engage in. It’s a multi-billion-pound industry, especially in the United Kingdom. Footballers cannot generally place bets on the sport though, regardless of whether they are a professional or an amateur player. This rule applies to the greats Neymar, Salah and Kane through to the least-known footballers captaining a local team. Anyone who plays the sport is restricted from being able to bet on themselves or on the event they are partaking in.

The reason for this is quite an obvious one when you think about it. The footballers themselves pretty much control the outcome of a game. It wouldn’t take much for one player to simply decide to bet on the opposition and then throw the match by not performing in the standard way just to win that wager and a payout. And even though the ban is in place, multiple professionals have been caught betting on their own sport, so potentially, a number of amateurs have also engaged in such, too.

Take a look at the story of Matt Le Tissier, for example. As one of the most iconic Premier League footballers who made a total of 540 appearances for Southampton, nobody really expected him to be involved in a scandal. In a game taking place against Wimbledon in 1995, Le Tissier attempted to put the ball out of play within the first minute of kick-off. The reason? He and a group of friends had formed a syndicate and placed bets worth £10,000 relative to the first throw-in of the game. The plan didn’t succeed, as Tissier’s nerves managed to better him in the end, and he didn’t kick the ball hard enough for it to go out. That is a prime example of spot fixing (or rather, a botched attempt at spot fixing) to secure a sports betting payout.

Such practice is common in sports such as cricket, and spread betting is frequently associated with spot fixing. The syndicate never came to light during Le Tissier’s football career, but if it had, then he would likely have been dealt out a hefty punishment for it. When he released his autobiography in 2009 though, he acknowledged the attempt to scam the system and said multiple people within the industry knew about it beforehand.

Despite Le Tissier being a professional footballer, this is not something that will have gone past the sights of amateur footballers. And if a professional can do it and potentially get away with it, why can’t an amateur? Less people are likely to be watching an amateur game than a professional one.

And things have gotten so bad within the Premier League of the UK that a ban was increased from players simply being banned on wagering on their own games to betting on any football games taking place anywhere. The ban on footballers, amateur or professional alike, does not extend to them placing bets on other sports, though. Obviously, they cannot influence the outcome of these events in any way.

Is Betting on Yourself Really Match Fixing?

Unless a sportsman has absolute faith in his own abilities to win against his opponent, then it would be clear that match fixing or spot fixing of some kind was taking place. And that is again regardless of whether this is courtesy of a professional athlete or an amateur. There have been numerous examples of this kind of activity taking place, with professionals being handed out fines and bans from their associated sports regulatory body. And this has taken place in horse racing through to cricket and to football and so on.

The issue with the restrictions and laws surrounding betting on yourself is that there is no clear black and white situation surrounding it. Grey areas exist in relation to so many sports and athletes. It was that possibility for doubt that led to the Football Association (FA) banning all professionals from participation in any kind of sports betting. Different sports have sought out alternative methods to handle the situation.

It is the case in many sports that betting against yourself is not something that you can partake in but wagering on yourself to win is fine. Obviously, again, this is because a player can easily throw the game out in their opponent’s favour.

Usually, the legality of placing a bet depends upon the situation in question. Say, for example, you are a snooker player, and you have a friend who is playing in the same tournament as you. You’re aware of the fact that he’s coming up against a big-name player and you believe he won’t win, but you don’t tell him this. Instead, you place a simple bet on his opponent to win, and that’s sort of like using a great tip to your advantage. On the other hand, if you were playing in the snooker tournament and you chose to bet on your own opponent winning the game, this would be seen as a restricted type of sports bet to many.

The rules don’t really differ if you’re a professional player as opposed to an amateur. However, the primary disconnect comes in relation to the Olympics. As noted, all participants are expected to sign a declaration that they will not partake in sports betting when competing.

Of course, you may place a bet on your opponent winning you at a game of tennis without the idea in mind of fixing the match so that this occurs. This issue is that nobody can actually prove these are your intentions. People would likely just think that you’re placing such a sports wager as a way of gaining a payout and throwing the match to ensure this happens.

Restrictions for athletes are not imposed by the sportsbooks or the law though, but by the bodies of the various sports themselves. Essentially, it would be ideal to proceed with wagering on other sports that you are not associated with as an outsider, so to speak. However, betting on yourself or your opponent when a game you’re involved in is occurring doesn’t seem to be a very moral way of going about things. The best option is to steer clear in this respect.

To Finish Off

It cannot be said that all sportspeople have an affection for sports betting, because that wouldn’t be true. Just like you and me – nobody can say that the average human being is more so a fan of betting than another. Yet, the rules surrounding placing sports bets apply to everyone. Footballers, tennis players, cricketers and so on need to abide by the rules that have been set out, and again, this applies regardless of their level of professional status.

While amateur sportspeople are less likely to be caught engaging in placing wagers on themselves or their opponents so as to obtain a hefty wagering payout, it doesn’t make sense for them to go ahead with such. It’s not very sportsmanlike if they throw the game for a simple bet, and morally, it is the wrong thing to do. Sportsmanship is something that many players uphold, and this is enough to see them through to the end. It has only been the actions of an unscrupulous few that have made the introduction of such restrictions so necessary.

In short though, amateur players should probably take the chance to wager on sports they are not affiliated with in the first place. If betting is such an enjoyable pastime for them, then there are plenty of events taking place around the world that they can get involved in where betting is concerned. This way, they’re not risking anything by betting on either their own sport or an event they are participating in.