Brendon McCullum, the head coach of the England men’s cricket team, is under investigation by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for a possible breach of their anti-corruption rules.
The investigation is related to McCullum’s relationship with bookmaker 22Bet India, which was announced in November 2022, six months after he was appointed as head coach.
Over the past few weeks, social media posts and YouTube advertisements featuring McCullum and 22Bet India have come under scrutiny, particularly in New Zealand.
According to the ECB’s anti-corruption code, “participants” are prohibited from “directly or indirectly enticing, persuading, encouraging or facilitating any other party to enter into a bet about the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any match or competition”.
The ECB has stated that they are exploring the matter and are in discussions with McCullum regarding his relationship with the Cypriot-based betting company.
The New Zealand Problem Gambling Foundation has filed an official complaint to the country’s Department of Internal Affairs, stating that 22Bet’s advertisements featuring McCullum are misleading because they are not a registered New Zealand sports bookmaker and are not licensed or regulated in New Zealand by the DIA.
As a result, the advertisements have been blocked for users in the country. In the advertisements, McCullum encourages betting on the IPL, saying that “My friends at 22Bet are ready to make your IPL experience even more fascinating. 22Bet India guarantees the best odds.”
McCullum’s agent, Simon Auteri, has stated that they are speaking to the ECB about the matter and are working through it.
Since taking over as head coach, McCullum, and captain Ben Stokes have led the Test side to ten wins out of 12. McCullum is currently back home in New Zealand and is due to return to the UK next month ahead of England’s first Test of the summer against Ireland at Lord’s on June 1
