Club news
Written by: John
Lewes FC can confirm that our player, Danny Bassett, has been notified of charges relating to a breach of FA Rule E8 relating to placing historical bets on football.
Danny is awaiting a hearing date of an independent Regulatory Commission who will determine his case.
Since being made aware of potential charges late last year, the Club has given its full and unconditional support to Danny and will continue to do so.
Following notification of the charges, Danny intends to begin a personal awareness campaign for non-league players to ensure they are aware of the regulations that apply to this level of football to mitigate the chance any player finds themselves in a similar circumstance. The Club will fully support Danny in that endeavour.
The Club has actively campaigned on the pervasiveness and harm of gambling advertisement in football since 2019. That season we carried the charity sponsor Gambling with Lives on the front of our shirt to highlight the damage gambling advertising continues to cause to our national game.
You can read our original statement here.
At the time, we made a plea to football’s governing bodies to step up, and effectively and properly regulate the explosion of gambling advertising. We have yet to see any kind of demonstration of this.
Gambling advertising continues to suffocate football with little acknowledgment of the serious harms gambling addiction causes to people and communities.
The league our men’s side currently compete in and the league in which Danny has played most of his career is currently sponsored by a gambling company. Pitching In is an organisation run by Entain plc who own, amongst others, Ladbrokes, Coral, Sportingbet and bwin. The Isthmian League has previously been sponsored by Bet Victor.
The Club expresses its dismay of the lack of educational resources available to players and staff around gambling. The irony is not lost on us that players and staff are exposed to gambling messaging on a daily basis from a sport that actively permits and promotes gambling advertising.
Neither the Club nor player will make any further comment on the matter pending the outcome of the independent Regulatory Commission hearing.
If you, or someone you know, have been affected by gambling harms, our partners Gambling with Lives may be able to help: