Stefano Pioli, a former soccer defender and the current manager of AC Milan, claims he had been unaware of Sandro Tonali’s gambling problem when trading him to Newcastle United. For reference, Tonali was recently involved in a sports betting scandal and banned from competing for several months.

Tonali joined Newcastle earlier this year following a £55 million transaction. While he played with the club for a short while, taking part in a dozen games, he is currently unable to compete because of his ban, presenting challenges to his team.

Pioli was asked if he was aware of Tonali’s gambling problems at a recent press conference at St James’ Park. The manager denied being aware of Tonali’s gambling problems, instead describing him as someone who was “very polite, respected and respectful to others.”

While Pioli said that he often feels like he has “an open relationship” with the players, he said that he doesn’t inquire about their personal lives and only talks to them about soccer.

Newcastle United Did Not Make a Mistake Taking Tonali, Pioli Says

The manager further discussed Tonali’s gambling problems, expressing his confidence that the player would be able to overcome his addiction. Pioli described the young athlete as a great soccer player with many qualities.

We’re close to Sandro. When he was with us, he was a really cheerful, positive young man, close to the team, popular, very important to the team’s rise, applied himself, worked hard, very willing to help the team.

Stefano Pioli, manager, AC Milan

The manager added that he regrets to see Tonali falling into such a “delicate situation” and added that the rest of AC Milan supports him and wishes him a better future.

Pioli also pointed out that Newcastle United will not regret picking Tonali up. While he admitted that the player’s gambling problems are an unexpected caveat, he said that Tonali’s skill in soccer will surely make up for the difficulties he has caused to his current team.

Ibrahimovic Joins AC Milan as Adviser

In the meantime, Pioli and AC Milan have welcomed Zlatan Ibrahimovic back. Now a senior adviser to the club, the former player will leverage his spectacular career and profound experience to support the team.

During the conference, Pioli praised Ibrahimovic as a determined and intelligent individual who is now taking the next step in his career.

In the meantime, AC Milan is set to face Newcastle United later today. Pioli said that his team remains bullish on winning the game, despite the significant challenge posed by the Magpies.

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X Factor winner Myles Stephenson opened up about the gambling problems he experienced in his early youth. In an interview with BBC, the musician reminisced about this dark period of his life, sharing insights into how he got hooked on gambling.

For reference, Stephenson is a part of the Rak-Su R&B group, which won the 2017 edition of X Factor.

Now 32, the singer says that he experienced serious gambling problems between the ages of 18 and 22. At first, Stephenson only played for fun, placing the occasional bet with friends. Eventually, his gambling habits spiraled out of control.

Stephenson told BBC that at his worst he would visit betting shops at 07:00 on his way to work. Eventually, he started gambling online, which is where his serious problems began, causing him to lose a “ridiculous amount of money.”

According to the singer, the convenience of online gambling and the ability to gamble wherever he was is what truly addicted him.

Stephenson Got His Life Under Control and Wants to Help Others

Luckily, Stephenson managed to get his life under control, eventually excluding himself from online gambling. To make sure he didn’t visit any betting shops, the singer started dropping a work colleague at their home, distracting himself from the urge to gamble.

Once the musician put gambling behind himself, he never once looked back. According to his interview with BBC, he is still excluded from all gambling websites.

Years later, Stephenson expressed his desire to help others going through similar problems. To that end, he joined forces with GamCare, joining the charity’s new campaign. This provided him with a platform to speak and give advice to people struggling with problem gambling.

While all British operators are required to monitor the activities of their players and identify signs of harm, this still isn’t enough to fully curb gambling addiction. The United Kingdom Gambling Commission plays an important role in the war on gambling harm, enforcing Britain’s rules and making sure that operators do not violate the player protection protocols.

Myles Stephenson isn’t the only celebrity who has struggled with addiction. Elsewhere, the Italian soccer professional Nicolo Fagioli received a suspension because of illegal bets he placed. The player admitted to having become addicted to gambling and will now undergo treatment.

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Yesterday, the NCAA released the findings of a new survey of campus compliance directors that inquired about the directors’ experience with sports betting-related issues. As it turns out, a concerning 27% of autonomy schools have dealt with sports betting problems among their athletes and staff.

The reported number marks a significant increase from 2019. To make matters worse, a similar percentage of autonomy conference compliance administrators said that athletes on their campus got harassed online by sports bettors.

The survey was commissioned by NCAA president Charlie Baker who wanted to see how campus administrators face betting trends and problems. Baker noted that, unfortunately, student-athletes are constantly subjected to harassment by bettors. At the same time, billion-dollar ad campaigns continue to target young people across the USA.

Because of these problems, Baker noted that his team will need help from regulators and sportsbooks to protect student-athletes from harassment, betting problems and match manipulations. He said that the data from the current survey will fuel the NCAA’s tools, helping the organization provide gambling education to young players.

Clint Hangebrauck, NCAA’s managing director of enterprise risk management, echoed Baker’s words, saying that the data will help the association develop educational tools.

Administrators Desire More Educational Resources

The NCAA noted that the survey targeted the senior compliance administrator from each Division I, II and III member school, to provide the NCAA with a better understanding of the underlying issues. Administered in July and August, the survey was completed by more than 500 respondents.

The survey confirmed that over 95% of Division I schools and a majority of Division II and III schools have at least some form of sports betting education for players, coaches and administrators. In addition to discussing NCAA bylaws, betting terms and gambling laws, many schools also address gambling problems and harm.

The NCAA noted that compliance administrators approved the association’s collaboration with EPIC Risk Management. Many of them also expressed their desire to receive more wagering resources from the NCAA. For reference, the national office staff is currently developing educational modules that will be available to administrators very soon.

The NCAA concluded that many schools also use monitoring services that allow them to identify suspicious patterns. Around a third of autonomy schools have an agreement with such service providers. Others, on the other hand, are getting access to such information through their conference office or the NCAA national office.

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Dr Timothy Fong, a member of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, spoke about the impact of problem gambling on student-athletes during the UNLV Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking. As reported by SBCAmericas, he also talked about how the harassment players receive from bettors can undermine their performance.

Students are considered to be high-risk gamblers. In addition, research shows that athletes are more exposed to gambling problems than other people. As a result, student-athletes, especially in the US where gambling is prevalent, are a very vulnerable demographic.

Fortunately, many recognize this issue and try to take action. Fong cited the program at Towson University that seeks to protect student-athletes from gambling and gambling-related harm. The program includes ways to identify potential gamblers and help them deal with their problems.

Echoing New Jersey’s recent decision to help young gamblers instead of punishing them, the University of California seeks to treat players instead of scrutinizing and suspending them.

We assess them, we treat them, and we get them to continue to be able to train and not sent home.

Dr Timothy Fong, director of sports psychiatry services, UCLA

Another problem that athletes all over the world face is harassment, which is oftentimes fostered by the discontentment of sports bettors who didn’t get their way. Harassment can happen both online and in the real world and can have a devastating traumatizing effect on young players.

Student-athletes would develop anxiety because of all the negative comments, which would affect their in-game performance as they would constantly worry. Dealing with this issue can become as important as training, eating properly and resting, Fong argued.

Suddenly, sports betting becomes a training issue. Just like cardio, strength training, sleep, nutrition, it becomes embedded as part of the athlete’s experience.

Dr Timothy Fong, director of sports psychiatry services, UCLA

Unfortunately, the growth of sports betting in the US has exacerbated the issue, with more harassment now circulating in the online space than ever before. The legalization of wagering in new markets has led to a sharp increase in harassment against athletes.

Some comments would simply say mean things about players but in certain cases, angry bettors may threaten the lives of athletes. Sometimes, the authorities would intervene and take offenders to court. Unfortunately, however, many harassers go unpunished.

The worst thing is that there is still not enough clear data about the issue and its prevalence. The exact number of affected athletes is also unknown, since no sufficient research has been done and since not all players like to comment on the matter.

Fong concluded that he hopes stakeholders will do something to address the issue.

The post Gambling Problems and Harassment Endanger Student Athletes, UCLA Says appeared first on Keno Wizard.

A new program launched by the NCPG is now focusing entirely on Hispanic youths in the hopes of educating them about the pitfalls of gambling and the dangers of excessive gambling in Cleveland, Ohio.

NCPG Keen on Helping Vulnerable Groups to Beat Problem Gambling

The intuitive has been launched with the Hispanic Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program which was awarded $40,000 to help better educate the target group about the dangers of problem gambling.

The program will seek to educate 100 Hispanic students in middle and high school as part of comprehensive prevention efforts about gambling disorders. The program explained stated its goal thus:

The program aims to raise awareness to the dangers of at risk and problem-gambling behaviors with Middle and High School youth, these youth can then relate this to their peers and their families via 1-1 conversations, social media, print, posters, and other created media.

Hispanic Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program

To have maximum impact, the program will operate as a bilingual initiative that will allow it to better connect with the target groups. The program is an important stepping stone in addressing problem gambling and gambling-related harm in Ohio. The state sees that 15% of Hispanic males aged 18-24 are at risk of developing a gambling disorder.

Addressing problem gambling with minorities has been a priority for many organizations engaged with furthering the understanding and advocating for safe and responsible gambling practices.

In places such as the United Kingdom, there has been research indicating that minorities tend to suffer from gambling disproportionately even though they make up a much smaller part of the people who participate in gambling as a whole.

The NCPG has been very active across different communities and is determined to bring the best possible campaigns and awareness initiatives to geographies and communities that may be impacted by various gambling-related problems.

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