Cricket is awash with betting ads, most from companies operating where they have no licence (so illegal). I’ve updated research in this article; it’s getting worse & now betting ads in the 2026 Hundred, a competition marketed at kids 🤮 @cricketacademic.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/new-res...

New research: Cricket flooded with betting sponsorships after pandemic

Research by Play the Game reveals a surge in betting deals, with 1737confirmed partnerships between betting companies, cricket teams, tournaments, and players in the last two decades.

playthegame.org

Great piece of work by @pobjourno.bsky.social for @playthegame-org.bsky.social on cricket governance @cricketacademic.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/greed-a...

How cricket's 55 million USD development fund gets gamed

The International Cricket Council distributes tens of millions of dollars per year in development funding through a system insiders say is loosely monitored and easily manipulated.

playthegame.org

The story of Gianni Infantino crisscrossing North America during the group stages of the World Cup. For @josimarfootball.bsky.social josimarfootball.com/2026/06/28/i...

International Jet Set  - josimarfootball.com

Fifa president Gianni Infantino clocked over 50,000 km on a private jet during the World Cup group stage.

josimarfootball.com

Greenland before their third place play off with Canton Ticona at the 2026 Conifa Euros but when will they play next? @concacaf.bsky.social?

The Top 5 betting operators attracting the most complaints from customers in 2025 at AskGamblers.com are also major sponsors of sport, football and cricket in particular. Do those sports know? Do they care? Probably not

FIFA is embracing the betting industry with troubling consequences in a remorseless attempt to commercialise everything everywhere all at once - for @playthegame-org.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-s-...

FIFA’s betting expansion raises integrity fears

FIFA’s growing ties to betting operators, prediction markets, and data companies are opening new integrity risks from the World Cup to low-level matches streamed on FIFA+.

playthegame.org

FIFA’s growing ties to betting operators, prediction markets, and data companies are opening new integrity risks⚠️ Experts warn that football’s global body is commercialising betting opportunities faster than it can police them By @stevemenary.bsky.social 👇 www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-s-...

FIFA’s betting expansion raises integrity fears

FIFA’s growing ties to betting operators, prediction markets, and data companies are opening new integrity risks from the World Cup to low-level matches streamed on FIFA+.

playthegame.org

New! Ny! Popular Norwegian football app FotMob is being used as a platform to advertise illegal betting across the globe. By @stevemenary.bsky.social josimarfootball.com/2026/04/30/i...

In through the back door - josimarfootball.com

Popular Norwegian football app FotMob is being used as a platform to advertise illegal betting across the globe, an investigation by Josimar has uncovered.

josimarfootball.com

New for @josimarfootball.bsky.social, by @stevemenary.bsky.social: FotMob has become one of the world's most popular score apps...and a favoured conduit for illegal betting operators to promote their brands in Asia. josimarfootball.com/2026/04/30/i...

In through the back door - josimarfootball.com

Popular Norwegian football app FotMob is being used as a platform to advertise illegal betting across the globe, an investigation by Josimar has uncovered.

josimarfootball.com

Has multi club ownership peaked? Number of linked clubs looks to have fallen back … #MCO www.linkedin.com/posts/steve-...

#mco | Steve Menary

Has multi club ownership peaked? In five years of tracking clubs linked by the same owners, significant shareholders or investors, there has been remorseless growth in MCO but that has stopped. At the...

linkedin.com

4 games in English women’s Metro Cup cricket were available yesterday with a live stream in India, where betting is largely illegal, on 1xBet. Given the clubs should ultimately be responsible for this livestream, how is it appearing on 1xBet?

The dark underbelly of women's cricket's growth. A grim read - but an important one.

Steve Menary@stevemenary.bsky.social · 4mo ago

New investigation from @jackkerr.bsky.social and myself on how shady offshore betting operators linked to porn are exploiting women’s cricket for @playthegame-org.bsky.social @cricketacademic.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/from-po...

New investigation from @jackkerr.bsky.social and myself on how shady offshore betting operators linked to porn are exploiting women’s cricket for @playthegame-org.bsky.social @cricketacademic.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/from-po...

How offshore betting targets women's cricket

A Play the Game investigation reveals gambling operators linked to pornographic content access live data from women’s cricket. This exposes such risks as match-fixing.

playthegame.org

Gambling site promoted by Irish tipster uses ‘fraudulent licence’, says overseas central bank www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...

Gambling site promoted by Irish tipster uses ‘fraudulent licence’, says overseas central bank

Rob Heneghan previously advised followers to ‘run and never look back’ if tipster ever promoted bookmaker

irishtimes.com

Kherson are playing Zaporizhia, and the match is available for in-play bets because someone is collecting live data. Surely this is a problem?!

"Alexander Smith" was the representative of illegal bookmaker Z6 when they signed a deal with the Croatian national team. But "Alexander Smith" does not exist. So who is this man? A (wild) joint investigation by @josimarfootball.bsky.social and @bellingcat.com. josimarfootball.com/2026/04/01/m...

My name is “Smith”, “Alexander Smith” - josimarfootball.com

How did a computer science academic and reality TV show contestant from Zagreb end up representing illegal sports-betting operator Z6 when it signed a sponsorship agreement with the Croatia national f...

josimarfootball.com

FIFA World Cup 2026: In Trump’s America, nothing can be ruled out. A piece for @playthegame_org about this summer's tournament. www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-wo...

FIFA World Cup 2026: In Trump’s America, nothing can be ruled out

While thousands of reporters prepare to cover the FIFA World Cup, concerns grow over the Trump administration’s crackdown on critics and foreigners. Nick Harris from Sporting Intelligence takes a clos...

playthegame.org

Nine years out from the World Cup and Saudi Arabia is intimidating the unions to get a complaint at the ILO dropped. My latest for @josimarfootball.bsky.social. josimarfootball.com/2026/03/19/c...

Cease and desist - josimarfootball.com

Saudi Arabia wants a repeat of the Qatar World Cup - little or no accountability over its treatment of migrant workers. The Arab Kingdom is not shy to intimidate unions to get a current complaint at t...

josimarfootball.com

Når selskaper som hevder å beskytte fotballen mot kampfiksing er de samme som legger til rette for kampfiksing, blir hver kamp en varslet kampfiksingskatastrofe. Det kan også ramme Norge. Kommentar og analyse av @stevemenary.bsky.social josimar.no/artikler/spi...

Spillselskapsleken | Josimar

josimar.no

New for @josimarfootball.bsky.social: part 1 of our investigation into 8Xbet, the new unlicensed betting partner of Newcastle United, who now sponsor *nine* English clubs - when the government is making noises about a full ban of unlicensed bookmakers. Really? josimarfootball.com/2026/03/09/c...

Cuckoo in the nest? Part I - josimarfootball.com

As the UK government considers introducing a blanket ban on advertising for unlicensed bookmakers in football, Newcastle United has become the latest Premier League club  to become the partner of myst...

josimarfootball.com

New for @josimarfootball.bsky.social. I wish to express thanks and my admiration to Zohreh Abdollahkhani, who found the courage and the strength to write this heart-rending piece, commissioned before Iran was attacked by the US and Israel. josimarfootball.com/2026/03/05/s...

Silent slaughter - josimarfootball.com

Enough footballers were killed by the Iranian Islamist regime in the space of forty-eight hours in January to make up two full teams. Fifa’s response? Silence.

josimarfootball.com

Our final #CRN2026 panel is focused on Governance and Sustainability. @stevemenary.bsky.social shares worrying findings about illegal betting sponsorship, which doubled between 2021 and 2025. Harry Brook, Steve argues, is (inadvertently) helping to promote illegal betting in the screenshot below.

A YouTube channel called VORA has posted a video which is a complete rip-off of the work @stevemenary.bsky.social has done on how illegal sports betting operators are using FIFA+ live football streaming. Pure theft. Zero credit. Just fishing for clicks at the expense of a proper journalist.

Great piece by Steve. We are looking forward to his presentation on this topic at our conference in 2 weeks time. #CRN2026

EXPOSED: the rise of illegal and unregulated betting companies in international cricket Brilliant piece by @stevemenary.bsky.social sportingintelligence832.substack.com/p/exposed-th...

EXPOSED: the rise of illegal and unregulated betting companies in international cricket

What does a betting firm PR man have in common with a London lingerie model and a Malaysian punk singer? They have all been used as fronts for dodgy sports sponsors

sportingintelligence832.substack.com

Is football at the frontline of the next financial crisis? Private Equity firms are using complex offshore arrangements to channel insurance money into football. This Bermuda Triangle strategy ended badly for 777 Partners, but could be a preview of the future. www.playthegame.org/news/investm...

Why investment funds could trigger football’s next crisis

Firms that specialise in buying and selling companies are using complex offshore arrangements to channel insurance money into football clubs. This Bermuda Triangle strategy has already ended badly for...

playthegame.org

Next Arctic Winter Games at Whitehorse in March should be interesting as Greenland and Alaska both sending teams www.awg2026.org

Arctic Winter Games 2026

Join us for the Arctic Winter Games 2026, a culturally significant, community-driven sporting event that unites thousands of athletes from across the circumpolar North.

awg2026.org

More than 200 non league players and staff charged by the FA for betting offences since 2015 - 3/4 of all charges. Why is the FA going after easy targets? On Substack for @sportingintel.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/sporting...

REVEALED: FA targets low-hanging fruit for illegal betting as game drowns in gambling ads

An investigation for Sporting Intelligence details the disproportionate number of betting charges against non-league players as the pro game embraces gambling

open.substack.com

New for @josimarfootball.bsky.social. And depressing. Correspondence between the Premier League and the British government suggests that elite English football clubs will be allowed to pursue commercial relationships with illegal betting operators in the future. josimarfootball.com/2026/01/13/s...

Same old, same old - josimarfootball.com

Correspondence between the Premier League and the British government suggests that, contrary to expectations, elite English football clubs will be allowed to pursue commercial relationships with illeg...

josimarfootball.com

From Aruba and Mauritania to the Seychelles, FIFA is commercialising as many lower-level games as possible via FIFA+. Stats Perform will be collecting the data for betting operators. Here is more background. With @stevemenary.bsky.social. www.playthegame.org/news/fifa-li...

FIFA+ livestreams fuel global in-play betting markets

New research from Play the Game shows how unlicensed betting companies are using FIFA’s own streaming platform to offer in-play wagers on low-level matches worldwide. Many smaller federations are unaw...

playthegame.org