England head coach Brendon McCullum’s appearance in online betting advertisements has landed him in a fix with the country’s cricket board (ECB) probing if it is in breach of the governing body’s anti-corruption rules. The former New Zealand captain had appeared in online advertisements after joining betting organisation ’22Bet’ as an ambassador in January.
McCullum had shared a video on his Facebook page on March 27 promoting 22Bet’s markets on the Indian Premier League. ‘We are exploring the matter and are in discussions with Brendon around his relationship with 22Bet’, the ECB was quoted as saying by the BBC. ‘We have rules in place around gambling and will always seek to ensure these are followed’. The ECB, however, clarified that McCullum is not currently under any investigation.
New Zealand’s Problem Gambling Foundation had complained to the ECB about the adverts last week. According to ECB’s anti-discrimination code ‘directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging, facilitating or authorising any other party to enter into a bet in relation to the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any match or competition’ is an offence. The code suggests such an offence would carry a minimum one-year period of ‘ineligibility’. England have won 10 of their last 12 Tests since McCullum became the coach at the start of last summer.
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