09-07-2025
Ex-Scottish Prem star BANNED for three-and-a-half years for making over 6,000 bets on football including own team
He took full responsibility for breaching the rules
BETTING BAN Ex-Scottish Prem star BANNED for three-and-a-half years for making over 6,000 bets on football including own team
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FORMER Motherwell striker Ryan Bowman has been banned from football after breaking betting rules.
The 33-year-old, who spent three seasons at Motherwell between 2016 and 2019, admitted to making an incredible 6,397 bets on football between June 2015 and September 2023.
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Ryan Bowman playing for Motherwell in 2018.
Credit: Kenny Ramsay - The Sun Glasgow
The forward, from Carlisle, was investigated by an FA Commission and was found to have placed spot bets on several games he was involved in.
That covers instances like bookings, corners and goals, with Bowman admitting to betting from the bench during Shrewsbury's game against MK Dons in January last year.
Bowman spent a staggering £203,758.57 in the period covered, resulting in returns of £182,189.85 - representing a £21,548.72 loss.
His punishment of a three-and-a-half year ban has now been confirmed by the Football Association, with parent club Cheltenham Town having already released him in May.
The striker admitted all charges against him and is now banned from all football activity for 42 months.
Out of the astonishing 6,397 bets he placed, as many as 351 related to his own team.
In 2014/15 he placed two bets whilst at Torquay United, with a further 191 bets on games when he was at Gateshead in 2015/16.
In 2018/19 it was found that Bowman placed 153 bets during his time at Exeter City and two of which involved Exeter games.
In 2019/20, a further 65 bets were placed or 'enabled' by the ex-Well star during another season with Exeter.
And in 2020/21 Bowman placed an 2,598 bets, again during his time at Exeter – 106 of which involved his own club.
Bowman then placed 1,948 bets during his next spell with Shrewsbury Town, with 147 concerning his own team.
In 2022/23 he placed 1,259 more bets whilst at Shrewsbury and then made another 181 bets the following season.
96 of those bets involved his own club.
Bowman netted 19 goals in all competitions during his spell in North Lanarkshire and started the 2018 Scottish Cup final against Celtic.
In a statement , Bowman said: 'I am taking full responsibility for all the 6,397 bets."
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