VAR Officers Visit Betting Sites During Live Matches

[taufik123]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/34279600/var-bulgaria-betting-scandal-suspended/

In football matches, we know that VAR technology is the most advanced today to help football referees in making decisions.
VAR uses video footage to analyze the course of the match and provide a replay.

But if VAR is operated by irresponsible individuals and only uses it for their own benefit, then this is a serious violation.

Reading the news on X and I found the news that a VAR officer was caught visiting an online betting site before the match started. 
This is an indication that there is fraud that will be carried out to generate a profit from the bets made.

The inappropriate action was carried out during the Parva Liga match between PFC CSKA-Sofia and PFC Lokomotiv Sofia yesterday evening (2nd April 2025).

What is your response to this news?
there are many frauds that continue to occur and this is done by some individuals or even plotters who are used to doing this.

[r_victory]

Football is a business that moves a lot of money, and of course there are private interests involved, especially when it comes to the betting market, in this sense, many decisions made in matches can be questionable.

[Aanuoluwatofunmi]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/34279600/var-bulgaria-betting-scandal-suspended/

In football matches, we know that VAR technology is the most advanced today to help football referees in making decisions.
VAR uses video footage to analyze the course of the match and provide a replay.

But if VAR is operated by irresponsible individuals and only uses it for their own benefit, then this is a serious violation.

Reading the news on X and I found the news that a VAR officer was caught visiting an online betting site before the match started. 
This is an indication that there is fraud that will be carried out to generate a profit from the bets made.

The inappropriate action was carried out during the Parva Liga match between PFC CSKA-Sofia and PFC Lokomotiv Sofia yesterday evening (2nd April 2025).

What is your response to this news?
there are many frauds that continue to occur and this is done by some individuals or even plotters who are used to doing this.

All i have to say here is that they also knows the rules of the game and are well aware that football of nowadays is done is a well transparent manner, which means any fault or error could be easily noticed and if such is coming form their own end, then they already know that they are playing with their own job, any decision taken by them can be viewed and rechecked upon to know if they really did a professional job there or not, i want to believe that the personnel gambling as shown was only doing that to catch up with his own fun over the match and not to manipulate result.

[_act_]

VAR officer supposed to focus on the match and not betting. He supposed to have been dismissed but probably no law or rules about it unless they see him manipulating.

I also read this on the news about it:

“Live footage from the camera situation in the VAR operations room documented the individual utilising a personal smartphone during the match and appearing to engage in inappropriate activities which would constitute gross misconduct in relation to the responsibilities of their assigned role.”

There should be a law against visiting betting sites when they are at work. It is very wrong.

[Rruchi man]

What is your response to this news?

He is just one out of a hundred officials who are into betting secretly and are using their position to influence games in their favor. He made the mistake of checking it while doing his job, and that is why he's being penalized.

Well, how about him placing the bets before stepping into the VAR room? Do you think he will not still try to influence the game in his favor if it is within his power?

With online casinos and platforms for betting, it is more difficult to know everyone that gambles.

[swogerino]

It is in their right as long as they are not betting on the game that they are being VAR referee. This would not constitute nothing wrong but if these guys keep betting on the very game they are being referees then this is a huge offense and these guys can easily go to jail. However this is not the problem with such guys, referees I mean, the real problem with them is that they do not give a flying f*ck to judge any game with correctness and they are impacting games massively, I used to watch live PSG vs Aston Villa in Champions League this week and I think the referee made some decisions who made the game end 3-1 but from what I saw in the field the game should have ended at least 5-1 for PSG and I am nor fan of PSG nor fan of Aston Villa, this is my honest objective opinion and not subjective. Referees, many of them I would put into jail as the only solution to make football great again.

[taufik123]

Football is a business that moves a lot of money, and of course there are private interests involved, especially when it comes to the betting market, in this sense, many decisions made in matches can be questionable.

Yes, businesses that take advantage of their important position so easily manipulate the match according to what some parties want. Many VAR decisions are even controversial and also the referee is unfair and it can be seen how they conspire for a match that is ordered like this.

-snip-
i want to believe that the personnel gambling as shown was only doing that to catch up with his own fun over the match and not to manipulate result.

Are you sure about that, but there should be rules about using personal devices to access betting sites, because this would be very controversial, especially since it is already known to many people.
The work of these individuals will be threatened and has even received a suspension and a deeper investigation into the case.
This makes public trust in technology that is said to be the most advanced technology today.

There should be a law against visiting betting sites when they are at work. It is very wrong.

It should be a fatal mistake, it should indeed be an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) of a job, let alone a VAR operator who must be fair in everything that is done and analyzed and they are bound by that rule.
If it was like this incident, it seemed like he was breaking all those rules.

-snip-
With online casinos and platforms for betting, it is more difficult to know everyone that gambles.

Everything can be manipulated at the moment, especially since there are many sophisticated devices that can support insiders to make and manipulate bets without being suspected,
but what the VAR official did was too careless and he thought it would not be known to others.

[coolcoinz]

What is your response to this news?

He is just one out of a hundred officials who are into betting secretly and are using their position to influence games in their favor. He made the mistake of checking it while doing his job, and that is why he's being penalized.

Well, how about him placing the bets before stepping into the VAR room? Do you think he will not still try to influence the game in his favor if it is within his power?

With online casinos and platforms for betting, it is more difficult to know everyone that gambles.

That's right. They're all doing it, just most are smart and get their friends and family to make bets for them. They don't do it at work, using their personal phone and in front of a camera.

Every few months there's someone caught betting either it's a player, or someone from the team like one of the coaches... I'm not even surprised to see this.

[_BlackStar]

We agree that such things are not appropriate for a VAR official to do, although he may not be entirely to blame for his unethical behavior. There are indications of cheating - but this is not a surprise considering that there has been a lot of cheating in football for a long time. In every business - there is always a mafia, so is football which has so far become a profitable business for most people. I have never been surprised by cheating in football - but I never hope it to still happen in top football in Europe.

[Frankolala]

This is why you should only bet on professional leagues like EPL, Laliga, Seria A e.t.c. Such manipulation wouldn't work in those big competitions because all eyes are on them making it difficult to work away with whatever manipulation you did on a match. There should be rules that prevents VAR officials to bet on matches that they are officiating.

[un_rank]

...
But if VAR is operated by irresponsible individuals and only uses it for their own benefit, then this is a serious violation.

Associations cannot control actions, they can only set strict penalties for any defaulters. The referee in question has been suspended and can face more sanctions if the case is proven after investigations.

It is in their right as long as they are not betting on the game that they are being VAR referee. This would not constitute nothing wrong but if these guys keep betting on the very game they are being referees then this is a huge offense and these guys can easily go to jail.

I think the rules covers betting all together. Players, managers and officials are not allowed to gamble on the outcome of any football match whether or not they are directly involved in that game. I could be wrong, but I think that is the current stance.

- Jay -

[acroman08]

This is not surprising, I mean, athletes have been caught betting in their matches, and I also wouldn't be surprised if more VAR officers are gambling while working.

I wonder what they'll find during their investigation. When someone in that position is caught gambling like that, there could be a high chance that an organized operation looking to take advantage of that power is involved.

[Dailyscript]

The inappropriate action was carried out during the Parva Liga match between PFC CSKA-Sofia and PFC Lokomotiv Sofia yesterday evening (2nd April 2025).

What is your response to this news?
there are many frauds that continue to occur and this is done by some individuals or even plotters who are used to doing this.

Yesterday was 10th April 2025 not 2nd.

Moving back to the discussion, TBH i am not aware that VAR officers are not supposed to gamble at all. I felt like they are restricted from gambling while officiating if that is the case as seen in the video he will be stripped of his position from FIFA. His intentions may be good, perhaps just checking his games if they are going as planned or he wants to place a new bet. The thing is no matter what he was trying to do he should have obeyed to the rules. Going against it will attract punishment.

[DubemIfedigbo001]

Reading the news on X and I found the news that a VAR officer was caught visiting an online betting site before the match started. 

I'm glad you mentioned he gambled before the match started, stating he didn't gamble on duty, do he's not guilty of any misconduct. He's a normal gambler like everyone and he's free to place his bets anytime he wishes as long as it doesn't interfere with his duties. Also it's possible he's not placing bets, but checking on running bets or just keeping himself engaged with other casino games before it's duty time.

This is an indication that there is fraud that will be carried out to generate a profit from the bets made.

This indication is just your conclusion, else show me the proof he made a bet during that period and won lots of money from it. You and I know very well that if that was the case, the storyline wouldn't just be about him using the casino before the match ensured. There might even be legal action against him by now.

[notblox1]

Things are worse than we think.
We all know they are cheating and manipulating results, but doing it so blatantly while at work is crazy.
I think I can recognize one of the officers is using bet365 website, and nobody around him cares about that 

[nelson4lov]

Imo,  he was wrong in ALL contexts. Whether he was actively betting on the game he was part of or not. If he was, then he's wrong and even if he wasn't actively betting on the current game, then he could still be wrong because that means his attention is divided and he's not doing his work well.

This confirms that some if not most of these sports events are manipulated and there is something at the receiving end of those results that gets actual benefits. Corruption at all levels of officiating.

[Kristiyana]

Football is a business that moves a lot of money, and of course there are private interests involved, especially when it comes to the betting market, in this sense, many decisions made in matches can be questionable.

Of course there are some people who are constantly profiting from football game, because sometimes before an event will kick off. Some set of people can decide to have a private talk with the referee and as well the VAR on how they can be able to achieve a particular outcome in that particular event. And they can decide to offer them a huge amount of money, just so that they can get the outcome which they're expecting. And the referee will keep working hand in hand with the VAR, maybe if there's something that will require consulting  the VAR before the final decision will be made by the referee they will just turn off the screen I mean they won't even show the screen as they used to.at this point the referee will just make his decision, they will do it in such a way that it will not be too obvious.

[Cantsay]

Football is a business that moves a lot of money, and of course there are private interests involved, especially when it comes to the betting market, in this sense, many decisions made in matches can be questionable.

Even if football is a business there are certain people who are expected to not take part it,,, take for example players who are participating in a game betting on that same game - it will only lead to people engaging in corrupt practices so that they can make the most out of the game.

The VAR in this case didn’t act professionally and if care is not taken this event might lead to him losing his job, because people could categorize this as insider gambling since he has informations that could give him an advantage over the others — this is if he was betting on the game that was currently being played.

[baeva]

Reading the news on X and I found the news that a VAR officer was caught visiting an online betting site before the match started. 

I'm glad you mentioned he gambled before the match started, stating he didn't gamble on duty, do he's not guilty of any misconduct. He's a normal gambler like everyone and he's free to place his bets anytime he wishes as long as it doesn't interfere with his duties. Also it's possible he's not placing bets, but checking on running bets or just keeping himself engaged with other casino games before it's duty time.

This is an indication that there is fraud that will be carried out to generate a profit from the bets made.

This indication is just your conclusion, else show me the proof he made a bet during that period and won lots of money from it. You and I know very well that if that was the case, the storyline wouldn't just be about him using the casino before the match ensured. There might even be legal action against him by now.

When I first saw this picture I thought it was an application where you can see the match schedule, lineups for the game and other parameters, in this application has nothing to do with betting. But as I understand it he made a comment saying it was before the match had even started, essentially admitting his guilt. In any case, there is nothing wrong with it, because there is no evidence that it was a bet on this particular match. But the situation is unfortunate, because if he bet money on this match, whatever he does he will be biased towards this match

[Fiatless]

This is not surprising, I mean, athletes have been caught betting in their matches, and I also wouldn't be surprised if more VAR officers are gambling while working.

I wonder what they'll find during their investigation. When someone in that position is caught gambling like that, there could be a high chance that an organized operation looking to take advantage of that power is involved.

I don't know much about the conditions of service of these officials, but I don't see anything wrong with VAR officials betting on games they are not engaged in. But he was simply doing the right thing at the wrong time. Maybe he is addicted to gambling that was why he couldn't control himself. Their role is so important that they should give much attention to the games. Relevant authorities will investigate this behaviour to ascertain if he has committed a criminal offence.