A Swansea City club employee has been suspended for betting on his own team to lose 130 times, it has been confirmed in a statement.
61 year old Huw Lake, the player liaison officer of the club, has been prohibited from participating in the sport for a duration of 12 months and has been fined £1,500 for his bets, of which he admitted to.
During his 20 year tenure at the club, Lake was responsible for resolving various issues for the top players, including those in the Premier League.
But now it’s emerged that he gambled almost £92,000, losing more than he won, and racked up losses of £7,437 over five years.
In short, it was The FA’s case that, over seven seasons, HL had placed 2,476 bets, with the total amount staked across those seven seasons amounting to £91,957.71. The returns on the amount staked were £84,520.15, resulting in a total net loss of £7,437.56.
Swansea City’s player liaison officer has been suspended from all football and football-related activity for 12 months and fined £1,500 following misconduct in relation to betting.
Full statement and written reasons: https://t.co/9UjhA0rkgL pic.twitter.com/VrgBg1D62K
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) May 30, 2024
FA STATEMENT:
Swansea City’s player liaison officer has been suspended from all football and football-related activity for 12 months and fined £1,500 following misconduct in relation to betting.
The FA alleged that Huw Lake had placed 2,476 bets on football matches between 03 April 2018 and 24 September 2023, and he subsequently admitted to this charge.
An independent Regulatory Commission imposed a 12-month ban from all football and football-related activity, with three months to be served immediately and the remainder to be suspended until the end of the 2024/25 season, and £1,500 fine.
The FA appealed against the independent Regulatory Commission’s decision on the grounds that it came to a decision which no reasonable such body could have come; and imposed a penalty, award or sanction that was so unduly lenient as to be unreasonable.
An independent Appeal Board found that the decision to suspend nine months of the suspension was unreasonable and/or so unduly lenient as to be unreasonable, and it substituted a 12-month suspension to be served in its entirety from 25 March 2024.
– STATEMENT ENDS –
The Charge
3. By letter dated 28 November 2024, The FA charged HL with misconduct under FA Rule E1.2 in respect of 2,476 football-related bets made between 3 April 2018 and 24 September 2023.
4. It was alleged that each bet was a separate breach of FA Rule E8. The particulars of the allegations were as follows:
2017/18 Season – Bets placed in breach of FA Rule E8 FA Handbook p120-122
HL placed 111 bets on football matches, in breach of FA Rule E8(1)(a)(i), between 3 April 2018 and 31 July 2018 while he was a participant at Swansea.
• 79 of these bets were placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct
and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition.
• 32 of the bets were placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition in which his club and/or he was participating.
2018/19 Season – Bets placed in breach of FA Rule E8 FA Handbook p115-116
HL placed 437 bets on football matches, in breach of FA Rule E8(1)(a)(i), between 1 August 2018 and 31 July 2019 while he was a participant at Swansea.
• 291 of these bets were placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct
and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition.
• 146 of the bets were placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition in which his club and/or he was participating.
2019/20 Season – Bets placed in breach of FA Rule E8 FA Handbook p116-117
HL placed 460 bets on football matches, in breach of FA Rule E8(1)(a)(i), between 26 October 2019 and 31 July 2020 while he was a participant at Swansea.
• 336 of these bets were placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition.
• 124 of the bets were placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition in which his club and/or he was participating.
2020/21 Season – Bets placed in breach of FA Rule E8 FA Handbook p120-121
HL placed 991 bets on football matches, in breach of FA Rule E8(1)(a)(i), between 1 August 2020 and 31 July 2021 while he was a participant at Swansea.
• 697 of these bets were placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition.
• 294 of the bets were placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition in which his club and/or he was participating.
2021/22 Season – Bets placed in breach of FA Rule E8 FA Handbook p126-127
HL placed 248 bets on football matches, in breach of FA Rule E8.1, between 1 August 2021 and 31 July 2022 while he was a participant at Swansea.
• 151 of these bets were placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition.
• 97 of the bets were placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition in which his club and/or he was participating.
2022/23 Season – Bets placed in breach of FA Rule E8 FA Handbook p142-144
HL placed 200 bets on football matches, in breach of FA Rule E8.1, between 21 August 2022 and 5 July 2023 while he was a participant at Swansea.
• 140 of these bets were placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition.
• 60 of the bets were placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct
and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition in which his club and/or he was participating.
2023/24 Season – Bets placed in breach of FA Rule E8 FA Handbook p144-145
HL placed 29 bets on football matches, in breach of FA Rule E8.1, between 1 August 2023 and 24 September 2023 while he was a participant at Swansea.
• 28 of these bets were placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition.
• 1 of the bets was placed on the result and/or progress and/or conduct and/or any other aspect of a football match or competition in which his club and/or he was participating
In his witness statement, TA provided a season-by-season breakdown of HL’s bets. His detailed analysis of the data revealed a total of 754 bets that included games in competitions in which Swansea participated during the relevant seasons. 212 of those bets involved Swansea, of which 130 were bets on Swansea to lose. TA provided a detailed breakdown of some of the bets, including two spot bets placed by HL that related to Swansea players.
10. HL’s response to these allegations is primarily to be found in his interview of 23 October 2023, in his witness statement and in the written submissions from his solicitors.
11. In the interview on 23 October 2023, TA took HL through his involvement in football and his job with Swansea and discussed the bets that he had placed over the seven seasons. During the interview HL stated, inter alia, the following:
• He accepted that all the betting accounts were his and that he had placed the bets. He gambled on football and horseracing.
• He knew that he should not bet on football. There was a sign in the changing rooms at the Swansea training ground saying no betting and he received text messages from Swansea each season reminding him that gambling was not permitted. He knew that there were meetings every season about gambling, but he had never attended one.
• He gambled due to boredom. It started after he lost his parents.
• It came as a huge shock when he was told how much money he had gambled over the years. He always gambled within his means. He had never had to stretch himself financially to place the bets.
• He never used specific knowledge from his position at Swansea when placing bets.
• He could not say how often he had bet on Swansea. He accepted that he had bet on Swansea to lose, but could not say why he had done so.
• He could not remember why he had placed the two spot bets that he was asked about. In relation to the first one, he said that he definitely had not had any information about who would be playing when he placed the bet. In relation to the second one, a bet on of Swansea to score his initial response was “well, I must have known, obviously that he might be playing, so therefore I must’ve just put him in”. Having said that he could not remember the bet in question and in response to further questions, he said that “he must have known that he’s starting”, adding that he thought he would have found out because he was dropping people off at the Club or because someone had told him. He said that he would go back and forth to the training ground several times a day and he might have known the line-up the day before the game.
• He did have concerns about what he was doing, but thought he could get away with it. He was aware of recent high profile investigations but just couldn’t stop betting.
Statements and Report provided by HL
12. As stated in paragraph 5 above, HL provided a written statement along with statements from people who had worked with him
HL’s Statement
13. In his statement, HL explained his background and how he came to be involved with Swansea.
He stated that the Club suspended him on 26 September 2023 when this matter came to light and that he remained suspended.
He described his role within the Club, providing support for management, players and their families. He said that he was relied on for his discretion.
He kept his betting secret. He denied using information obtained as part of his job to place bets.
He said that upon reflection, he did not think he had specifically known that would be playing in the game against Luton when he placed saying that he “would have assumed that to be the case as he was
He had not bet since his gambling came to light and did not intend to do so.
He was ashamed of his actions and very sorry for breaching the rules.
Statement from Alan Curtis
14. AC said that he has known HL since he was 16, speaking of him as a “vital link between the players and coaching staff and the club”. He referred to HL’s strong reputation in the game and the help and support that he provided to other people.
Statement from John Hartson
15. JH said that he had met HL when his son was part of the Swansea academy and that HL had become a good friend to him. He said that HL was well-known as a face of the Club, describing him as “one of life’s good guys… very genuine person”.
Statement from Roberto Martinez
16. RM worked with HL when he was the Swansea manager. He referred to HL as very professional and reliable and a “very kind human being”. He described him as “the human face of the Club”.
Lake began his time with the Swans as an apprentice when the team won a place in the top flight back in the 1980s.
Under the guidance of then-manager John Toshack, he made his debut in the old First Division, making 23 appearances.
Lake then became a player liaison, providing support to both players and managers.
A Swansea City spokesperson said: “Huw admitted the offences upon being charged and he and the club have cooperated fully with the subsequent investigation by the football authorities.
“The club supported Huw throughout the FA’s proceedings and will continue to do so. Swansea City will make no further comment regarding this matter.”
The written reasons for both the independent Appeal Board and Regulatory Commission’s decisions can be read below.
It comes as Reading’s head of football operations Mark Bowen was charged by the Football Association over alleged breaches of betting rules.
The former Reading manager (in 2019 and 2020) is said to have made 95 bets on football matches which were unrelated to Reading FC from April 2022 to January 2024.
Bowen now has until the 7th of June to respond to the charge.
Help for problems with gambling
Gambling can harm many areas of your life. This can include problems with your:
– relationships
– physical and mental health
– finances
If you’re not sure if gambling is causing problems for you
Answer these questions:
Do you bet more than you can afford to lose?
Do you need to gamble with larger amounts of money to get the same feeling?
Have you tried to win back money you have lost (chasing losses)?
Have you borrowed money or sold anything to get money to gamble?
Have you wondered whether you have a problem with gambling?
Has your gambling caused you any health problems, including feelings of stress or anxiety?
Have other people criticised your betting or told you that you had a problem with gambling (regardless of whether or not you thought it was true)?
Has your gambling caused any financial problems for you or your household?
Have you ever felt guilty about the way you gamble or what happens when you gamble?
Score 0 for each time you answer “never”
Score 1 for each time you answer “sometimes”
Score 2 for each time you answer “most of the time”
Score 3 for each time you answer “almost always”
If your total score is 8 or higher, you or those closest to you, are likely to be experiencing gambling-related harms.
If your total score is between 1 and 7, gambling might still be having a negative impact on your life.
There is support and treatment available if you need it.
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) May 31, 2024
Twitter users reacted with it confirmed that the Swansea City club employee has been suspended for betting on his own team to lose 130 times…
@JackDaviesSCFC: Gotten himself into some deep water there hasn’t he
@jamieranford83: He’s a player liaison officer. He’s literally speaking to players daily. It’s a massive conflict of interest.
@blaine_llew: How? He’s not having any input to the playing side of things. Speaking to a player means nothing, I’d wish them luck if i walked past them in the street. Though, if he was betting on next manager markets etc then that changes things but the volume of bets suggests otherwise.
@swansea_gav: Lakey is Mr Swansea, so good to read the club are appearing to stand with him.
@SleepyInSA2: Potential insider trading. Standard to see such protections in any industry. But football has a wider gambling issue. I did some worth with Gambling with Lives a while back. Great guys and really opened my eyes to potential harm. Good to see Huw’s getting the support he needs.
@00N99F: ah mate how can u fine someone for fucking betting he’s not even in a profit. that’s just sad.
@dylanscfc_: don’t blame him
@DanJLDavies: wonder how much money they actually made
@Harrison___S: No wonder why duff had a hard time getting the players on board 😂
You must be logged in to post a comment Login