This whole thing needs to be put into context. In my opinion there are two types of gambling that relate to football, Corruption gambling and Fun gambling, it looks like Rob has been caught having fun.
I realise that Rob’s bets were on accumulators (same as Cav) and he probably thought were dead certs, at the time. Parallels are being drawn with the other betting scandal from 4 years ago, but in this case, players who could have had a say in the outcome of a result, bet huge amounts on a Stanley defeat whilst playing for Stanley. This is in no way comparable to Rob’s crime, but the players in question had much lighter punishments for a much more serious crime.
The issue I have with this whole matter is the harshness of the punishment, and the stupid FA rules regarding gambling. I’m referring to this quote from Rob’s website
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Robheys website;
There is a very relevant point to be made here to all who are involved in sport and do bet from time to time. If your club has been involved at any stage of a competition you cannot place a bet on any match at any stage of the competition. For example, players, officials and employees of clubs that have already been knocked out of the 2013/14 FA Cup in the Extra Preliminary Round this weekend are in breach of the betting regulations if they place a bet on the FA Cup Final in May next year. Many of the charges that made up the case against me were bets involving this type of rule breach.
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I think the punishment Rob has received is unduly harsh considering the precedent shown to players who actually have a direct outcome on the result of the game. The betting rules need to be overhauled and should be rigorously enforced when gambling leads to corruption and the predetermined outcome of a result. Players betting for their team to lose should serve lifetime bans, players betting on their own team to win should go unpunished. Accumulators for typically a fiver or a tenner whether it includes your own team or not, should not matter as the outcome of the bet is still dependent on 9 other results in which your team is not involved, and these charges are unjustified and petty.
Let’s not forget the Football League has just taken an internet gambling company as a major sponsor, how will this and future gambling cases sit with the morals of the whole shoddy business.
The FA and the Football League, along with many clubs through shirt sponsorship, are happy to take money from gambling companies, yet tell all people who are working for these clubs, presumably this includes people who help out at the club (fans who do a bit of cleaning up, snowshifting, printing posters/t-shirts/flyers, or removing ground covers, etc) not to gamble on any competition which the club may or may not be involved in. yet encourage the fans who don’t do anything at the club to empty all their wages and anything else they might have into the coffers of the bookies, internet or shop.
Where does this end? Imagine having a bet on Stanley to win a game in August, then turning up in January to help out removing the frost covers, would you now be banned from removing frost protection from the pitch for the rest of the season?
If Rob had a few grand on the next Stanley manager, 3 months ago, then I would understand and be justified at the severity of the punishment.