England test coach Brendon McCullum has not breached anti-corruption regulations by being the brand ambassador for a betting company, the England and Wales Cricket Board said today.
The New Zealander has had a partnership with 22Bet and appeared in a series of advertisements for the Cyprus-based bookmaker, including encouraging people to bet on the Indian Premier League on his social media channels.
The ECB looked into the matter and said its anti-corruption code does not prevent players or coaches from becoming brand ambassadors for betting organisations.
“Discussions have been ongoing with Brendon over the last few days and the matter has been considered from an employer and regulator perspective," the ECB said. “We can confirm that no further action will be taken.”
The ECB's anti-corruption code bans participants from betting on games and “directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, persuading or encouraging any other party to enter into a bet in relation to the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any match or competition.”
McCullum has been England test coach since May and has turned the team around. England has won 10 of its last 12 tests under McCullum, having previously won one of 17 tests.
In NZ, the Problem Gambling Foundation said they had "serious concerns" about the aggressive online marketing campaign, which appeared on YouTube.
It's illegal for overseas bookmakers to advertise in New Zealand. But because YouTube is an international site, the ads slipped through the cracks.
PGF spokesperson Andree Froude told 1News last week it was "most aggressive marketing I've ever seen".
She said that since it's not based in New Zealand, those putting money into the site may be at risk, as it's not regulated here.
"People go onto this betting platform, and they're not actually covered by New Zealand law; it's based in Cyprus, so they're not actually protected.
"People may not be aware of that, so if, for example, something went wrong and they couldn't get their money out, they wouldn't be protected."
The ads were later pulled by YouTube's parent company Google.
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