Ivan Toney opens up on his addiction to gambling and eight-month ban from football for first time, revealing he’s been turned away by car insurers and restaurants and admitting he lied to investigators
- Ivan Toney has spoken out on his past addiction to gambling after being banned
- The Brentford star is banned until January after admitting 232 betting breaches
- WATCH: ‘It’s All Kicking Off’ – Episode 1 – Mail Sport’s brand new football show
Ivan Toney has opened up on his addiction to gambling following his eight-month ban from football.
The Brentford striker is banned until January 16, 2024, after admitting 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules.
In a tell-all interview with YouTube channel, the Diary of a CEO, Toney revealed that he no longer gambles and that he initially lied to investigators.
He also recalled that the scandal led to him being turned away by car insurers and restaurants.
The 27-year-old said: ‘I remember at the time when there was allegations, I wanted to go to a restaurant and they were like “no you can’t – we’re not taking you”.
Ivan Toney has opened up on his past gambling issues after being banned from football
Toney is currently banned until January after admitting 232 breaches of FA betting rules
Toney recalled how he was turned away by car insurers and restaurants because of the saga
‘I was like “what do you mean?” And then it was “the allegations, we’re not allowing you in or something like this. I was actually so confused. I was thinking “for starters, it’s allegations and second of all you are a restaurant how can you not let someone in because of bad press?”
‘I was just baffled, and my car insurance, they wouldn’t insure me due to the whole scandal. And I was like “car insurance? They won’t have me on their books?” it was baffling.’
Toney admitted he started having a ‘little flutter’ in gambling when he was 15-years-old and that the more money he was paid ‘the higher the stakes were’.
On the 232 breaches he said there were some bets he ‘doesn’t recall making’ but was ‘willing to take responsibility’ to get the process ‘all over and done with’.
He added: ‘The impact it (betting) would have is waiting for payday. I’d pay for everything I need to sort and then I would be like “I’ve got this much to play with”.
‘I took care of what needed to be taken care of then in my head it’s like “my money is my money and I can spend it how I want”.
Toney went on to say that it was a ‘grey area’ in terms of what he knew he could bet on and what he couldn’t .
He also admitted that his original claims to investigators that he didn’t bet on football were inaccurate.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=XtT4fI-NkXU%3Frel%3D0
Toney said: ‘That was when they threw everything at me. I thought “I would deny it and then it’s all fine and they wouldn’t find anything”.
‘Then everything went through and I admitted to what I have done.’
The FA’s document at the time his ban was announced revealed that a 15-month ban would have been imposed if not for Toney pleading guilty to the charges.
An independent commission found that a ‘significant reduction (to the length) should be made to reflect the diagnosed gambling addiction’ identified by psychiatrist Dr Philip Hopley.
The document released in May continued: “The lack of control the player has in respect of gambling is clearly a reflection of his diagnosed gambling addiction. The position appears to be that Mr Toney has ceased gambling on football although he still gambles on other sports and casino games.
Toney (right) was found to have a gambling addiction and the fact he pleaded guilty led to his him receiving a lesser ban that he otherwise would have received
‘He is determined to address his gambling problem with therapy at the conclusion of this season.’
Toney now insists however that he has stopped gambling as he said: ‘No (he doesn’t gamble anymore). I think it’s kind of been in the public eye if I was going to these places. It’s more the embarrassment of “is he still continuing?”
‘So I wouldn’t allow myself. You look back and take a backseat, have a look at the money you lost and what it could have. People to provide for. It could go to here or just managing money better. How I look at things. I can see it as me being naïve.’
Toney during his interview also said the timing of the news was questionable and that his biggest punishment was missing out on the World Cup.
He said: ‘Personally, I felt like it was a bit of a questionable time when they decided to bring it all out and then when they actually dealt with the situation come the end of the season, it’s kind of like why bring it out then?
Toney said his biggest punishment was not playing for England at the World Cup
Toney, who has stopped gambling, insists he will come back ‘better than he was before’
‘I feel like, yes I’m banned now, but the biggest punishment for me was missing out on playing at the World Cup. I felt like somebody’s out to get me at that time, to stop me from playing for England.
‘Looking back on what I’ve done, would I change some bits probably, but it is what it is.
‘I’ll take full responsibility for the punishment I’m getting now. I know for a fact I’ll come back stronger than this, I’m better than I was before.
‘If I wasn’t as strong as I was in my head that would break some people; I’d be at a petrol station they’d scream certain things and I’d be with my family and my children and people just be like shouting dumb things out.
‘There’s a lot of haters and doubters out there thinking, he ain’t going to be the same man when he’s back, actually they’re right I’m gonna be a different man, I’m going to be even better than that guy who scored them goals before. I’m built different, my mentality’s different.’
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