Global Courant 2023-04-14 17:03:32
Advertisement featuring England coach Brendon McCullum promoting a gambling site could potentially violate the ECB’s code of conduct.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has said it is “investigating” head coach Brendon McCullum’s association with a gambling company, in a possible breach of the board’s code of conduct.
The former New Zealand captain, who has spearheaded England’s resurgence in Test cricket since taking charge as head coach last year, appears in advertisements for Cyprus-registered online bookmaking company 22Bet India.
The ECB’s anti-corruption codes prohibit players, coaches and officials from participating in or encouraging betting on matches.
“We are currently investigating the matter and are in discussions with Brendon regarding his relationship with Cypriot gambling company 22Bet,” an ECB spokesperson said in a statement Friday.
“We have rules around gambling and will always strive to ensure that they are followed.”
McCullum’s association with the company began before he took over the England job last year, but he has been seen in the betting company’s recent YouTube ads surrounding this year’s Indian Premier League.
However, according to New Zealand news channel 1News, Google has now withdrawn advertisements featuring McCullum.
“Google has strict policies governing the types of ads we allow on our platform. In this case, we found the ads that violated our policies and removed them,” a Google spokesperson said.
The report added that Google allows gambling ads “only if they comply with the policy and the advertiser is a state-recognized entity in New Zealand.”
Earlier, a New Zealand-based gambling addiction support service filed a complaint with the country’s Home Office about the ad, saying it “legitimizes and endorses the platform for Kiwi audiences.”
The ad shows McCullum declaring himself an ambassador for the gambling site, urging cricket fans to sign up for the service.
McCullum’s agent has said the coach and the ECB are “working through it”.
“We are in talks with the ECB about this,” the agent told Britain’s Times newspaper.
