An English Football League stalwart has been banned for more than three years after placing a staggering 6,397 bets on football matches – including backing himself to score.
Ryan Bowman has played for the likes of Exeter City, Shrewsbury Town and Cheltenham Town in a professional career dating back to 2009.
And a Football Association investigation has found that he placed the whopping number of bets over an eight-year period – with the FA Commission even suggesting that Bowman placed a bet from the substitutes’ bench when playing for Shrewsbury and MK Dons back in January 2023.
During that time, the 33-year-old bet on himself to score on six different occasions… but also wagered on the team he was playing for at the time to lose.
A Most Serious Case
Bowman admitted to a series of charges brought by the Football Association.
Those included the placement of nearly 2,600 bets between December 2020 and July 2021 while playing for Exeter, as well as more than 3,000 wagers struck between August 2021 and July 2023 while turning out for Shrewsbury.
110 | Get in! Ryan Bowman finds the bottom corner#ECFC 3️⃣- 1️⃣ #COLU#OneGrecianGoal pic.twitter.com/oC8pyrD47k
— Exeter City FC (@OfficialECFC) June 22, 2020
However, the striker denied that he placed a wager from the subs’ bench while contracted to the West Midlanders. That charge was later proven by the FA’s investigation.
Of his entire bet haul, 87 were placed on games involving his own club – including eight in which he bet against his own side; he played the entire game in three of those.
The striker bet against Shrewsbury four times in a row towards the end of the 2022/23 season – in one of those games, Bowman was sent off in a 1-2 defeat.
Bowman also placed six different ‘spot’ bets on himself to score anytime, with one of those – a £20 wager placed ahead of an FA Cup tie with Stratford in 2021 – cashed out before kick off… he would go on to find the net twice in a 5-1 hammering.
Having taken control of his mobile phone records and betting accounts, it was found that Bowman had spent just over £200,000 on his betting, with a total return of £182,000 – a significant loss for the lower league journeyman.
“This is a most serious case which includes a number of egregious examples of breaches of the FA Rules against betting,” the results of an independent regulatory commission investigation read.
Bowman joined Cheltenham Town for the 2024/25 season, becoming a first-team regular until his effective disappearance from the side as of January – the Robins confirming that they knew the 33-year-old was under investigation when they signed him in July 2024.
A statement from Cheltenham Town reads:
“The full extent of the offences was not known until October, when charges were brought under the FA’s betting regulations.
“Club officials supported Ryan through what has been a difficult time for him and despite his departure from Cheltenham Town this summer, again we would like to place on record our thanks to him.”
His ban began in March and will run through until September 2028.
On the Spot
Players at all levels of English football continue to fall foul of the Football Association’s rules prohibiting gambling.
Ivan Toney and Sandro Tonali, England and Italy internationals respectively, are just two of the Premier League stars past and present that have served suspensions after admitting to betting on games.
Meanwhile, West Ham ace Lucas Paqueta continues to await the verdict of his investigation – a whole two years after it commenced. The Brazilian is accused of getting booked on purpose so that members of his own family could profit.
The FA’s rulebook on betting reads:
“A worldwide ban on betting on football was introduced for all those involved in the game at Premier League and English Football League levels.
“Participants covered by the ban will be prohibited from betting, either directly or indirectly, on any football match or competition that takes place anywhere in the world. This also includes a worldwide ban on betting on any other football-related matter; for example, the transfer of players, employment of managers or team selection.”
Other sports are facing similar issues. The NBA is investigating Malik Beasley, the Detroit Pistons player who has become embroiled in a gambling scandal. Federal authorities are looking into claims of ‘unusually heavy betting interest’ in his performances, with specific reference to spot betting.
Major League Baseball is also investigating suspicious betting patterns involving pitcher Luis Ortiz, with two pitches in particular under heavy scrutiny.