Scottish striker caught gambling

Kane Hester, a striker for Scottish soccer club Elgin City, has been arrested for offenses under the UK Gambling Act 2005. He was found to be a part of suspicious gambling patterns from this season.

gambling activity at a recent match was uncovered by British police

The soccer player was charged along with three other men after UK police uncovered gambling activity at a recent match.

24-year-old Hester joined the League Two club at the beginning of the year in January, after leaving his former team Arbroath.

Police operations led to arrests

Police in Montrose, a small town north of Dundee, Scotland, made four arrests following a planned police operation. These included a 22-year-old man and three others aged 24. The report following these arrests is now due to be sent to the Crown for prosecution.

While not named by his club, Hester was outed in local media as the soccer player at the heart of the police investigation.

Respecting player privacy

Initially, a statement from Elgin City acknowledged the arrest, saying “one of our players has been charged with an alleged offense.” The club went on to ask for privacy for the young player, over fears that any admission could open up possible allegations of contempt of court. It added that

The club cannot, and will not, make any further announcement on this matter at this time.”

Scottish FA rules

There are rules under the current Scottish Football Association (SFA) rules that ban players from gambling on their own sport. The SFA have yet to confirm if they will seek to bring charges while the case currently goes through the legal system.

As the case is ongoing, a spokesman for the SFA declined to comment.