Inverness full-back Lewis Horner has received a suspended eight-match ban for a string of betting offences - but will not serve any punishment if he proves he has beaten his gambling problem with the help of addiction support services.
Horner admitted breaching the Scottish Football Association's zero-tolerance betting rules both in the current season and in the 2011-12 campaign, when he played for East Stirlingshire on loan from Hibernian.
The 25-year-old placed 12 bets in 2011-12, including two accumulators which featured bets against his own club, and placed 343 gambles this season, including one accumulator which featured a bet against a "team from his own club".
An SFA disciplinary tribunal issued the eight-match ban but stated it would only be applied if Horner failed to comply with three conditions: that he does not breach the betting rules again in the next 18 months; that he attends for "treatment, support or counselling at NECA Gambling Services" or a similar group for the next year and co-operates fully; and that he produces reports from the organisation confirming his co-operation halfway through his treatment and at the end of the 12-month period.
Relegated Caley Thistle had earlier pledged to help Horner, who has not played since December after suffering an injury, although he was fit before the end of the season.
When the charges were issued, the club said Horner had previously received professional help for a gambling addiction and regretted not asking for help sooner, adding he was "extremely embarrassed".
Horner's punishment contrasts sharply with the sanctions meted out to former Rangers midfielder Joey Barton in England, who was recently given an 18-month ban by the Football Association for placing 1,260 bets from 2006 to 2013, including a number against his own club. Barton had earlier received a one-match suspension from the SFA for making 44 bets during his short spell at Ibrox.
Annan chairman Henry McClelland faces a hearing next Thursday after being charged with betting offences at the same time as Horner.
Source: PA
