Tom O'Connor fined £4,200 for 16 bets, no ban imposed | OneFootball

Wrexham defender Tom O’Connor, currently on loan at Peterborough United, has been fined £4,200 for historic betting breaches, the Football Association confirmed.

He placed 16 bets between April 2017 and May 2021, breaching Rule E8, which prohibits players from betting on football. Five involved competitions featuring his then club, and he admitted the charges at once.

An independent commission issued a formal warning alongside the fine and imposed no suspension. The punishment was deemed fair and proportionate, and a sporting penalty was not warranted.

The offences occurred while he was a young player at Southampton, then at Gillingham. Across the 16 bets he staked £147.66 and lost £73.66.

O’Connor apologised to the FA and accepted he knew the rules, calling his behaviour naive and stupid. The bets were small-stake punts placed out of boredom, none used inside information, and he has not bet on football since May 2021.

One wager involved his own team within a £1.11 accumulator shortly after he turned 18, an aggravating factor, although it backed his side to win. Since joining Wrexham from Burton Albion in January 2022 for an undisclosed fee, he has made 115 appearances across defence and midfield. No costs were sought and the case is closed, subject to appeal rules.

Source: Wales Online