Sportspersons should stay away from betting
Thuso Palai | Monday May 26, 2025 10:23
I have observed that it has taken off in Botswana and from my social media feeds, I see a lot of active ‘betters’, if that’s the right word to use. I have a few friends who are into sports betting and always want to recruit me, but I fear I will lose money because I might not be objective. Chances are that I will most probably bet with my ‘heart’ and not my ‘mind’. I can't imagine betting that my favourite teams, Township Rollers or Liverpool FC, will lose, even if all the odds were stacked against them. So, I choose to stay away from sports betting, at least for now. For the past few years, Batswana were betting on sports, mostly through international, particularly South African, betting platforms. I don’t know if that is legal to bet across borders, and exactly how that works in terms of putting bets and cashing out, but it seems like it is quite popular. Sports betting is a personal choice and is legal; nothing untoward about it. It obviously has its pros and cons, but all consenting adults have a choice to make, to do it or not. Either way, no one breaks the law when they legally place bets on authorised betting platforms.
I know there are some who are all against it, even going to the extent of calling it 'go chaya ma-dice'. I personally do not have any qualms with any legally consenting adult betting, as long as it is done responsibly. Not to sound alarmist, with the emergence of sports betting and its popularity, I just hope we have mechanisms in place to ensure that our sports heroes do not get tempted to do untoward things to influence betting – we all know that players have been suspended the world over for being involved in betting and/or aiding and abetting bets. The football world, in fact, all of sport, shuns sports players who bet on their games, and if caught out, there are severe consequences. We watch a lot of EPL and are aware of the suspension of Newcastle United's Italian player, Sandro Tonalli, who was suspended for 10 months from football for ‘betting’ on matches he was involved in. We don't know the finer details of the case, but maybe he bet that he would get a yellow card, or his team would win or lose. That is against the law. That is a definite no-no. Currently, West Ham United player Lucas Paquetá is facing similar charges, and there is talk of an even severe punishment if found guilty, even a life ban from professional football, as his case is even more severe. That is how serious sport is about players betting on their games.
For us who follow cricket, there is also the famous Hansie Cronje debacle that ended his career in shame. He was found to have been working with external forces to ‘cook’ matches, and he was caught out. In the African continent, Football Kenya Federation is currently investigating goalkeeper Patrick Matasi for suspected match-fixing. He has been suspended from all football to make way for an investigation into alleged match-fixing during his nation’s 4-1 loss to Cameroon in their AFCON qualifier. I watched highlights of the same match, and I also have my suspicions. This is why suspected match-fixing and sport betting on one’s matches is abhorred the world over. Back home, sports betting has taken off. Do we have mechanisms in place to ensure we have the necessary balances and checks? Have we educated our players to guard against the temptation of being victims? Have we engaged sports teams to warn them of the possible dangers and repercussions of match-fixing to aid betting? I just hope our players don't get tempted to let goals in, get yellow cards, miss open goals or even score own goals just because they bet on that happening.
I read somewhere that the Botswana Football League (BFL) is in the process of drafting betting rules for players. I hope it goes beyond just the players, as even administrators, agents, coaches, etc. The Botswana Gambling Authority has done great work to educate the nation on betting, the dos and don'ts. The public education campaign has been massive and made a mark. My wish is that they get closer to the BFL and now target the teams, especially the players on the same, lest we find ourselves in murky waters. Let’s educate to prevent rather than wait for incidents. I have all the confidence that the BFL and the authorities are on it. This will also protect the players and the integrity of the sport.
*Thuso Palai is a sport analyst and a regular contributor