Brian Rice - Gambling notice of complaint

Midfield General said:
Fair play to the chap and I hope he can recover and stop gambling.
I do have a slight issue with it being called a disease.To me a disease does not give you an option.MS and Motor neuron are diseases you don't get the choice not to have it.
To me it's like stopping smoking,it's not easy but it is down to the will power of the individual.
I don't want to come over as all judgemental but he has the power in his own hands to recover.Good luck to him.
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But you just did....
 
It’s a mental illness, not a disease.

I don’t really get posters being pedantic over whether it’s an illness or a disease

he’s admitted he has demons and it’s the first step on long road back
 
So gambling addict Brian Rice, is set to be banned from games in the Ladbrookes Premiership and the William Hill Scottish Cup. Obviously the conclusion of the Betfred cup this year means he will miss out on that.
 
Glad to see the club supporting him and giving him the help he will need to beat this addiction. Call it whatever you want a illness etc but believe me he has a long hard road in front of him and I really hope he can beat it.
 
He needs help, but he should be punished the same as any other.
If they are seen to be lenient because of his admission then any other person up to his/her neck in it will be seeing this as a way out.
 
I dont have a problem with scottish football being sponsored by betting firms.
Players and managers have inside information of other teams and also the ability to directly influence their own matches.
The rule is clear and there is no excuse for it, gambling addict or not.
He could easily bet on horses, snooker or whatever, just not football and be absolutely fine regarding the rules of his job.
 
I'm fairly sure the Morton kit man lost his job recently due to a betting charge. Very harsh for someone to actually lose their job due to this addiction.
 
I'm always a bit uncomfortable about our shirt sponsors being gambling or alcohol companies. But I suppose that's just the way it is.
 
Vambo Loyal said:
I'm fairly sure the Morton kit man lost his job recently due to a betting charge. Very harsh for someone to actually lose their job due to this addiction.
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He wouldnt have lost his job due to the addiction, he lost it for beaching the governing body rules, in theory the SFA could hammer Morton for it and cost then financially or in point deductions
 
Obviously with a cynical hat on he's been caught and needing to fess up but on the other hand it may save his career and or family life.

Wish him all the best in his recovery.
 
The Golden God said:
Hope he gets it under control.

I enjoy a fiver on a coupon at the weekend but don't have any apps on my phone or online accounts as I feel it could lead right down a dark hole.
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I'm the same ( do more than a fiver at the weekend ) but i dont have any apps or online accounts. Must admit i wouldn't be able to control it.
 
Just been listening to last nights SSB and Alex Rae talking about his experiences with it. Said he’d been told at the time he needed residential treatment but couldn’t cos his career would have been over if it had got out. Wonder just how many players are currently afflicted by this and who don’t get treatment when they should for the same reasons and make matters worse.
 
kpdon said:
it is shocking how the betting industry has dominated football over the last few seasons.
32 Red is everywhere and all Scottish competitions are sponsored by betting companies
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Facilitated by John Prescot relaxing the gambling laws. He must have done well out of that one, the fat cu.nt.
 
Earth Worm Jim said:
has admitted he is gambling addict

its a bit rich that managers / players get pulled up for this, yet the governing bodies are happy to take millions from betting firms in sponsorship

unless your betting on games involving your own team then i see no issue at all with it
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I would go a little further and say don't bet on any competition that your team is involved in. Otherwise batter on.

In Brian Rice it's clearly an addiction and feel for him, I nearly fell down that hole also and many on here will have. Personally I managed to get a grip of it as I was spirilling out of control.

Paddy Power was on Talksport the other day and said himself that gambling is you giving him a tenner and him giving you £9, if you are happy with that then come put a bet on, if not stay away.
 
Sky, BBC and STV are camped at the Accies stadium, you think there was a murder
 
Listened to the Hamilton chairman last night discussing it. They will stand by him and fair play to him. Said it would have been different if Rice had bet against hamilton.
 
CALE1972 said:
Listened to the Hamilton chairman last night discussing it. They will stand by him and fair play to him. Said it would have been different if Rice had bet against hamilton.
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thats the thing, clearly he could control which teams he was betting upon, then why not exercise some more control and not bet on football at all, therefore being clear of the rule?
 
Rice admits he has a problem and I hope he gets the help he needs. Any addiction can ruin your life.

However there are a lot of people who like a punt and don’t let it get out of hand. I can’t see the point of a blanket ban. Clearly betting on something which you can influence is not on but why should a Scottish manager not be allowed to bet on other leagues.
 
Vambo Loyal said:
I'm fairly sure the Morton kit man lost his job recently due to a betting charge. Very harsh for someone to actually lose their job due to this addiction.
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12 game ban from the SFA, then Morton bagged him at Christmas after 45 years service at the club so much for loyalty
 
Hypocrisy from the league taking bookies money, to then have rules against any sort of gambling from the players and staff within the league. All credit to Rice though for going public with his addiction problems, it will almost certainly enable some people to seek help for their own addictions.

Personally I've never really gambled more than I can afford to lose and would stick to £10-20 a weekend on coupons, but now can't be bothered with it.
 
LiviLoyal said:
Good on you Brian. As a fellow recovering compulsive gambler, I know all too well the severity and destruction the illness you suffer from causes.

As he says, honesty is a key element of recovery, so fair play to him for admitting it upfront. I’ve told my employers too and received nothing but support (as it should be).

Get to meetings, follow the recovery program and your life will become a million times better than it’s ever been to date.

As an aside, I’d like to see the SFA show some common sense here and not absolutely hammer the guy for it when he’s taking steps to control his addiction. Appreciate they have rules and not saying he shouldn’t be punished, but don’t ruin the guys career for it. Time will tell though.
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Recovery from any addiction is possible.

As you say, find meetings to suit the illness and work the 12 steps. Life gets better and in my experience, gets better than it was before!
 
Cumbraeloyal said:
12 game ban from the SFA, then Morton bagged him at Christmas after 45 years service at the club so much for loyalty
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he could have cost the cub a considerable amount in fines theoretically, presumably it was in his contract not to gamble on football.
 
Arkanoid said:
Such is society, he'll be ridiculed, banned from his job all while the governing body take sponsorship money from gambling companies! Can't throw people under the bus whilst taking the devil's dollar yourself.
Fair play to the honest approach, wonder when Griffiths will come clean on his gambling and drug addiction
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:eek: Thumb doesn’t have either of those addictions surely lol
 
I feel sorry for him as it's a terrible illness. He always comes across as a thoroughly likely chap and a good Whitburn man too.
Hope he gets the help he needs.
 
Jase said:
Rice admits he has a problem and I hope he gets the help he needs. Any addiction can ruin your life.

However there are a lot of people who like a punt and don’t let it get out of hand. I can’t see the point of a blanket ban. Clearly betting on something which you can influence is not on but why should a Scottish manager not be allowed to bet on other leagues.
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Because there would be an unlimited amount of opportunities for insider betting.

Theoretically it would be extremely easy for a Manager in Scotland to contact a previous player now playing in England and an “agreement” put in place for that player to take a deliberate yellow in the second half of a match. (And for the record of course this will still happen via third parties)

The football community isn’t that big. Many players and managers across the borders will have crossed paths at some point or have mutual friends and agents etc
 
Crazy how the addiction can take over some people.

Football really should stop taking dirty money. Hopefully when we next look at a sponsor, we think about who it is a bit more
 
CALE1972 said:
Listened to the Hamilton chairman last night discussing it. They will stand by him and fair play to him. Said it would have been different if Rice had bet against hamilton.
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Good to hear they’re standing by him. Needs support at a time like this and losing his job wouldn’t help anything.
 
TibbsyBear said:
Because there would be an unlimited amount of opportunities for insider betting.

Theoretically it would be extremely easy for a Manager in Scotland to contact a previous player now playing in England and an “agreement” put in place for that player to take a deliberate yellow in the second half of a match.

The football community isn’t that big. Many players and managers across the borders will have crossed paths at some point or have mutual friends and agents etc
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No bigger an opportunity than a family member doing the same.
 
BobbyShearer said:
No bigger an opportunity than a family member doing the same.
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Of course. I actually edited my post above to say this will still happen via third parties.

If things like this become a regular occurrence though the betting companies will eventually pick up on it and start to investigate where it’s coming from.
 
Fair play to him for coming forward, although I do see him now receiving some sort of punishment. Think the authorities should be trying to help him.

Quite like Brian Rice, seems a genuine football man.
 
TibbsyBear said:
Of course. I actually edited my post above to say this will still happen via third parties.
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I didn’t intend it to sound like a retort-more that that seems to be what the concern of the authorities is but as long as betting exists the problem will.

It’s irritating and bewildering that authorities seem to come up with face-saving rules that solves nothing and punish, when it comes down to it, innocent parties.

Gambling on a match involving your own team should carry a ban.
Anything else should be permitted and there’s no logical argument otherwise-particularly when every tournament carries a bookmakers banner.
 
A few years ago I worked with an ex pro who had been caught betting when he was younger. Though in this instance it wasn’t on matches that he could directly influence.

He admitted though that it was rife in this particular league and he openly told us that the lads made 10x their salary through the year from various betting scams like deliberate yellows, reds etc

They weren’t on great money so this was basically their bread and butter and the way he discussed it, it was an open secret and commonly accepted as normal practice throughout the league.
Especially on matches approaching the end of the season that had little impact on trophies or league placing.
 
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TibbsyBear said:
Because there would be an unlimited amount of opportunities for insider betting.

Theoretically it would be extremely easy for a Manager in Scotland to contact a previous player now playing in England and an “agreement” put in place for that player to take a deliberate yellow in the second half of a match. (And for the record of course this will still happen via third parties)

The football community isn’t that big. Many players and managers across the borders will have crossed paths at some point or have mutual friends and agents etc
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That’s all fair comment but the crooked stuff will go on regardless. Only a ba’ hair’s worth of the cheating is gonna come from football people. A blanket ban seems excessive.
 
Jase said:
That’s all fair comment but the crooked stuff will go on regardless. Only a ba’ hair’s worth of the cheating is gonna come from football people. A blanket ban seems excessive.
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In my opinion mate it’s not a million miles away from insider trading.

These guys have access to players and contacts all over the world. So in theory, they are in a position of influence regardless of what league they currently play or manage in.

If they choose to break the rules anyway then that’s completely up to them but I believe the current rule is just.

It won’t stop everyone but it will stop some.
 
BUDDA76 said:
To take sponsorship from betting firms then hammer your members for using them is unreal. If not betting Hamilton don't see the problem. Used to see the Stranraer team hanging about bookies all the time when younger and kicking about Stranraer town centre.
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I get that they shouldn't bet on their own team and i get it that it may be better to maybe ban people with in the sport they are involved from betting on it.What I don't get is how you can ban somebody from betting full stop?.
TBF its a horrible addiction.a mate of mine struggles with it big time and my brother had a period apprarntly when it got a bit messy.He still bets but He's got it sorted now and is no detremeant to his life
Hope Mr Rice sorts His demons out and He and His family can have peaceful life
 
Bowery Boy said:
The Ladbrokes SPFL, the William Hill Scottish Cup, the Betfred Cup.

The hypocrisy is pretty staggering.
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You are right there mate. I wish Brian all the best on his road to recovery and hope the authorities support him rather than going all rule bookie about it.
 
jtc said:
I get that they shouldn't bet on their own team and i get it that it may be better to maybe ban people with in the sport they are involved from betting on it.What I don't get is how you can ban somebody from betting full stop?.
TBF its a horrible addiction.a mate of mine struggles with it big time and my brother had a period apprarntly when it got a bit messy.He still bets but He's got it sorted now and is no detremeant to his life
Hope Mr Rice sorts His demons out and He and His family can have peaceful life
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They are not banned from betting, just betting on football
 
jtc said:
Thanks SB
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That’s why I don’t get this gambling addiction thing, there are shedloads if things he could have fed his habit betting on, just kept away from football and been fine as far as the beaks are concerned
 
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