Ivan Toney Confesses Boyhood Love for Liverpool and Opens Up on Gambling Addiction

Brentford striker Ivan Toney recently opened up about his gambling addiction and boyhood love for Liverpool. The footballer is currently serving an eight-month ban from football for breaching FA betting regulations. On The Diary of a CEO podcast, Toney revealed that he has been a Liverpool fan since he was young, but also admires Arsenal and their playing style.

Toney spoke about how his gambling addiction affected his life, saying that people would shout out dumb things when he was at the petrol station with his family and children. He also highlighted the issue of football’s over-reliance on betting companies, with seven of the Premier League’s 20 teams having betting companies as their main sponsors. This was highlighted at the weekend when Lucas Paqueta took to the pitch wearing a West Ham shirt emblazoned with Betway’s name. Paqueta is currently under investigation for alleged betting rule breaches.

Toney believes there is a grey area around the rules, which is in contradiction to the PFA’s advice which clearly states that any football-related gambling is strictly prohibited. He said that clubs don’t tell players what they can and can’t bet on, but instead just warn them against it.

Liverpool’s biggest betting partner is Austrian company Interwetten and, in the past, they have had BetVictor’s name on their training shirts. Their subsequent partner, 1xBet, didn’t last long after the company were used to promote gambling on children’s sports and cockfighting, among other offences.

Gambling addiction is a serious issue in football and it is important that players are aware of the rules and regulations surrounding betting. The FA have been working hard to ensure that players are aware of the rules and the potential consequences of breaking them. It is also important that clubs are aware of their responsibilities when it comes to gambling sponsorships and that they take steps to ensure that they are not promoting gambling to vulnerable people.

Ivan Toney’s story serves as a reminder of the dangers of gambling addiction and how it can affect a person’s life. It is important that players are aware of the rules and regulations surrounding betting and that they take steps to ensure that they are not putting themselves at risk. Gambling addiction can have serious consequences and it is important that players take steps to protect themselves from falling into this trap.