The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced that it is examining the potential involvement of Brendon McCullum, the head coach of England’s Test team, with the betting company 22Bet India. Nevertheless, the board made it clear that the former New Zealand captain is not currently the subject of an investigation.
In November 2022, McCullum’s agreement with the Cyprus-based firm was made public, six months after he was named to his present position with the England men’s team. Nevertheless, over the preceding weeks, ads on YouTube and content from the 41-year-old’s social media accounts have drawn criticism, particularly in New Zealand.
In January, McCullum became an ambassador for the betting company and has been featured in various online advertisements. On March 27th, he shared a video on his Facebook page endorsing 22Bet’s offerings for the Indian Premier League.
The advertisements featuring McCullum encourage betting on the IPL. “The IPL is coming, and I think all cricket fans are excited about this big event. My friends at 22Bet are ready to make your IPL experience even more fascinating. 22Bet India guarantees the best odds,” the video he posted on Facebook said.
However, the adverts did not sit well with the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand, which lodged a formal complaint with the country’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) last week. The DIA has since stated that 22Bet’s advertisements are deceptive because “they are not a licensed New Zealand sportsbook and are not subject to DIA oversight or regulation in New Zealand.”
Due to this, advertisements featuring McCullum and 22Bet India have been blocked for users in the country, and the Problem Gambling Foundation reached out to the ECB.
In response, the ECB released a statement saying: “We are exploring the matter and are in discussions with Brendon around his relationship with 22Bet. We have rules in place around gambling and will always seek to ensure these are followed.”
According to the anti-discrimination code of the ECB, it is considered an offence to “solicit, induce, entice, instruct, persuade, encourage, facilitate, or authorize any other party” to place a bet, either directly or indirectly, on the outcome, progress, conduct, or any other aspect of a match or competition.
The protocol emphasized that such a violation results in a minimum of one year of “ineligibility.”
In the meantime, England will have McCullum back as they seek to reclaim the Ashes urn from Australia this summer. England has not possessed the urn since the 2015 series, as Australia has convincingly won two out of the last three Ashes competitions.
Starting on June 1st, England will play a single Test match against Ireland before taking on Australia.
Last summer, McCullum took over from Chris Silverwood as the head coach of the England Test team. Alongside captain Ben Stokes, the 41-year-old has led England to ten victories in their previous twelve Test matches and aided in breaking multiple records in the format.
On June 16th, the 2023 Ashes series will commence at Edgbaston, followed by the subsequent four Tests to be hosted at Lord’s, Headingley, Old Trafford, and The Oval.
