Professional golf is not immune to the recent outbreak of shenanigans tied to sports betting sites.
The PGA TOUR announced Friday that it suspended two Korn Ferry Tour members (the PGA TOUR's minor league, so to speak) for betting on PGA TOUR competitions, albeit not ones in which they played.
Golfers Vince India and Jake Staiano were given six and three-month suspensions, respectively, for their violations of the PGA TOUR's integrity program.
"The TOUR will have no further comment on the suspensions at this time," the organization said in a statement.
PGA TOUR statement regarding Korn Ferry Tour members Vince India and Jake Staiano pic.twitter.com/bK5zVfaeg0
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) October 27, 2023
Professional sports organizations like the PGA TOUR are going through a period of turmoil in connection with legal sports betting, the growth of which has made it easier for people to place a wager, including athletes themselves. That has prompted a crackdown over the past year by leagues forced to discipline players who ran afoul of gambling policies, knowingly or not.
Like other professional sports organizations, the PGA TOUR also has partnerships with sportsbook operators such as bet365 and BetMGM. And, like other leagues, the tour is now grappling with the fallout of its players placing wagers on their and other sports.
The PGA TOUR also announced earlier this year that it is partnering with monitoring company U.S. Integrity and extending an existing relationship with Genius Sports to keep tabs on wagering activity.
A press release at the time gave the stated mission of the PGA TOUR’s Integrity Program as: “To maintain integrity and prevent and mitigate betting-related corruption in PGA TOUR competitions – ensuring competitions always reflect, and appear to reflect, the best efforts of the players, while protecting the welfare of the players and others involved with the PGA TOUR – through clear policies and regulations, ongoing education and training, and effective and consistent monitoring and enforcement functions.”
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