Professional footballers, cricketers three times more likely to be gamblers: Research

A research has revealed that professional footballers and cricketers are three times more likely to have gambling problems than other young men.

A study conducted for the Professional Players' Federation (PPF) has shown that 6.1 percent of sportsmen would be classed as problem gamblers compared with 1.9 percent in the general population of young men.

PPF chairman Brendon Batson said that the findings are worrying for sport, adding that sportsmen are a clear 'at risk' group and sport has a duty of care, The BBC reported.

He said that they all need to work together to expand and improve the good practice that exists on education and treatment for problem gambling.

The research was based on confidential questionnaires from 170 professional footballers and 176 professional cricketers.

Heather Wardle, research director at NatCen Social Research, which carried out the study, said that it is interesting to question why this might be, adding whether it is due to a betting culture or something about athletes' personalities or perhaps a combination of the two.

Former Tottenham and Stoke winger Matthew Etherington and ex-Manchester United and Newcastle winger Keith Gillespie are among those to have admitted having gambling problems in recent years.

Former New Zealand and Gloucestershire batsman Craig Spearman also revealed that he was a compulsive gambler at the height of his career, the report added.