League of Ireland Tackles Gambling Harm as Ex-Players Share Addiction Stories
A new gambling awareness and harm prevention program in Irish soccer will feature sessions led by former players who’ve experienced addiction. Former Liverpool defender Dominic Matteo, who made 127 appearances for the club, is one of the speakers. He accumulated over €1 million ($1.2 million) in gambling debts while still playing.
The League of Ireland (LOI) is collaborating with EPIC Global Solutions on this educational program. The consultancy group already works with other notable sporting bodies, such as the English Football League (EFL) and the MLS Players Association.
Players, coaches, Football Association of Ireland (FAI) staff, and match officials will also receive this training when it begins later in January. The program includes 70 workshops in total. They include sessions with each senior men’s and women’s LOI team and academy club.
Flutter Entertainment, which operates the Irish flagship platform Paddy Power, is funding the new program. Besides Matteo, other players initially scheduled to share their experiences with gambling addiction include former Ireland underage star Scott Davies, who lost £200,000 ($268,926) gambling, and former EFL player Marc Williams.
Concerns Over LOI Match-Fixing and Addiction
Several LOI players have gone public with their addiction struggles in recent years. Most recently, the league suspended former Finn Harps player Dean Rainey for six months.
He bet on several LOI games, although he denied betting on any matches in which he was playing. Rainey issued a statement explaining his addiction. He called out gambling advertising for “doing the damage” to young men in the country.
Integrity is also a big concern when it comes to gambling education. The average salary for an LOI player is around €700 ($821) per week, according to some reports. This means the financial incentive for manipulating matches can be alluring.
Cases in the U.S., such as Jontay Porter’s, show how gambling debt can escalate into match manipulation. Similar scenarios have made headlines in Ireland in recent years.
Ireland’s Anti-Bribery and Corruption Unit has carried out several operations as part of a probe into suspected match-fixing after getting reports from UEFA and the FAI about possible match-fixing in certain games.
They looked at suspicious betting activity, including deliberate fouls and players getting sent off. In one case, a significant number of fans successfully placed wagers against their own team.
One of the most notable police operations resulted in the arrest of 10 individuals. This group included unnamed current and former well-known soccer players, who were arrested in Limerick in May 2022. Ultimately, prosecutors did not pursue charges.
Then, in October 2025, authorities arrested an individual who allegedly offered an LOI player €40,000 ($46,911) to get a red card in a game. The player immediately reported this approach to the authorities.
An Issue in Elite Irish Sport
While there hasn’t been a comprehensive study looking at addiction levels within top-level domestic soccer in Ireland, other sporting bodies have carried out research.
A study published in January 2023, examining elite-level Gaelic Games players in the country, found that 79% of top-level athletes were current gamblers. Researchers classified almost 5% as problem gamblers. This compares to the 0.8% rate in the general Irish population.
Two players admitted to staking over €10,000 ($11,727) in a single day. More recent research shows that several players believe more education on spotting signs of addiction is necessary.
The LOI initiative reflects a growing recognition of the importance of early prevention when it comes to gambling addiction. Giving players, coaches, and officials the tools to recognize early warning signs can help create a safer environment on and off the pitch.
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