Kevin Pietersen tells ECB he will not promote gambling site while on England duty
Kevin Pietersen has told the ECB he will not promote Dafabet while working as England's specialist mentor.Summary
Kevin Pietersen has told the England and Wales Cricket Board he will not promote betting while on duty as England's specialist mentor. Pietersen signed a lucrative brand ambassador contract this week with Dafabet, a Philippines-based online gambling company that holds a UK operating licence. He is contracted to work with Brendon McCullum's white-ball team for around 150 days over the next 13 months until the 50-over World Cup, co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. His betting interests create a potential headache for his employers: the ECB's anti-corruption code bans participants from soliciting, inducing, encouraging or authorising anyone to bet on any aspect of a match or competition. The ECB does not take advertising revenue from gambling companies, will ban Hundred franchises from betting sponsorship deals from next year, and requires counties accepting gambling income to show proceeds are reinvested into infrastructure or community programmes. All cricket participants are also barred from betting, a rule that led to the England fast bowler Brydon Carse receiving a 16-month ban, 13 months of it suspended, two years ago for placing 303 bets between 2017 and 2019. Pietersen, 46, is understood to have reassured the ECB that he will not promote Dafabet while on England duty, which will prove restrictive given his commitments. While he is not travelling to Pakistan for a 50-over tri-series also featuring Sri Lanka that starts next week, he will take a full part in the winter tours of Australia and South Africa and in all of England's domestic white-ball matches next summer leading into the World Cup. The ECB previously examined McCullum's betting interests after the then Test coach joined Cyprus-based 22bet as an ambassador three years ago and promoted its Indian Premier League betting markets on Facebook and YouTube. The ECB concluded McCullum was not in breach of its anti-corruption code, although he terminated the relationship with 22bet anyway.
(Source：The Guardian)