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A UK soccer player banned from the sport after placing 6,397 bets

Ryan Brown, a former Cheltenham player, has been banned from participating in sports for three and a half years. His suspension began in March 2025 and will continue until September 2028, as confirmed by the Football Association.

Written by Casino House Group Editorial Team

Published on July 10, 2025

Summary

Ryan Brown, a former Cheltenham player, has been banned from participating in sports for three and a half years.
His suspension began in March 2025 and will continue until September 2028, as confirmed by the Football Association.
It is reported that Brown has made 6,397 bets, most of which were placed in recent years.

A former soccer player, who once played for teams including Cheltenham, Shrewsbury, and Exeter, has been banned from the sport for three and a half years by the Football Association. This decision followed an investigation that revealed a gambling pattern spanning eight years.

A soccer player placed thousands of bets in eight years

This is an extremely serious case involving numerous significant breaches of The FA's betting rules, the regulator stated. The ban, initially imposed in March of this year, will remain in effect until September 2028. Ryan Bowman, the individual involved, reportedly placed 6,397 bets over an eight-year period. Bowman has admitted to these actions and was subsequently released from his last club, Cheltenham. Although Bowman's betting activities date back eight years, it was in the past few years that his gambling significantly increased. He supposedly placed 2,600 bets between December 2020 and July 2021. Following this, he made an additional 3,100 wagers from August 2021 to July 2023. This suggests that Bowman was placing between five and ten bets daily during these periods. Bowman's history with gambling is extensive, and there are instances where he is known to have bet on himself to score, among other situations."

Cheltenham parts ways with Brown on amicable terms

Bowman has consistently stated that although he has placed bets, he has never bet on outcomes where he could negatively influence the result, such as deliberately losing a game or faking a play. Despite this, Cheltenham parted ways with him on good terms, acknowledging his error: Club officials supported Ryan during what has been a challenging period for him. Even after his departure from Cheltenham Town this summer, we would like to officially thank him and wish him and his family all the best. There is no indication that the player has experienced gambling-related harm or addiction, as no available reports suggest this. However, his compulsive gambling might be a sign that Brown needs to seek help. Photo by Unsplash.com Please note that you must log in to comment. You can either drag and drop files here or click to upload. Unfortunately, we couldn't identify the language of your reply. Please select your language from the options provided. Your submission has been sent to the forum administrators for review to ensure it complies with our community guidelines. You will receive an email about the outcome within 48 hours.