Ivan Toney’s Gambling Addiction Plays Mitigating Role in Final Decision

Charged with 232 counts of breaching soccer betting rules in England, Toney was finally handed a penalty that will see him suspended from the game until mid-next year, and also see him pay $62,000.

Toney was found to have bet against his own team on 13 occasions, with hundreds of other instances of betting. The player’s infringement of the rules may not be an open-and-shut case in which someone with insider knowledge used it to nefarious ends for self-gain.

Rather, Toney is a high-profile player who is battling gambling addiction, as testified by Dr Philip Hopley. Investigators found this to be a significant mitigating factor in handing down a ruling in the matter. Another beneficial factor was the player’s own admission of guilt.

Toney pled guilty to the majority of the accusations bar a few dozen. Meanwhile, Hopley saw this, and the fact that Toney has addictive tendencies, as reason enough to recommend a reduction of the original length of the ban from 11 months to 8 months and allow Toney to return to training with his team – if he has one next year.

The suspension was originally going to be around 15 months before these facts about Toney’s addiction came to light, as testified by qualified specialists. The ruling also clarified this and pointed out to Toney’s ongoing struggle with gambling:

The position appears to be that Mr. Toney has ceased gambling on football although he still gambles on other sports and casino games. He is determined to address his gambling problem with therapy at the conclusion of this season.

Dr Philip Hopley

The ruling is a significant win for not just Toney, but the overall perception of gambling addiction when handing down penalties.

Good Precedent for the Future  

With so many potential scandals that have been out in the sports world, including Detroit Lions’ receiver Jameson Williams, who said that he was unaware of the National Football League’s gambling policies, it’s important that investigators are beginning to consider a perpetrator’s mental state – and whether they suffer of addictive practices – as one of the mitigating factors.

Toney’s not entirely innocent in the matter. He previously lied to the FA, saying that he had not bet on soccer – something that came to light during the investigation. Toney was also trying to not fully disclose the extent of his gambling having used other people’s accounts to do so. The case is now settled, but it’s a good precedent in which an athlete has been proven to have suffered from a gambling addiction that has pushed him or at least contributed to his actions.