NHL's Shane Pinto Talks Suspension for Proxy Betting Violation
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00:00With the Shane Pinto of the National Hockey League, Pinto was under a ton of scrutiny
00:07last year, Mike, for improprieties as far as sports betting were concerned, but as you
00:12pointed out several times here on the show, we never had any clarity as to what exactly
00:17happened there.
00:18It feels like, according to at least some different reports here, that we finally have
00:21something, right?
00:22Yeah, correct.
00:23We finally got it from the man himself.
00:26Shane Pinto was on the Empty Netters podcast last week and said he was suspended 41 games
00:32last season for proxy betting.
00:34He said, I was not a Canadian citizen, he was playing for the Ottawa Senators, and he
00:39could not, therefore, download and apply for an account on a Canadian sportsbook.
00:46He apparently had his friends log into his U.S. sportsbook account and place bets.
00:51The Ottawa Sun had reported there was unusual activity on his U.S. sports betting account.
00:56The NHL said he did not bet on NHL games, but whether he was betting on the NBA or NFL
01:02or something to that extent, he had his friends apparently do it for him, which is a no-no.
01:06That is illegal, and so he was banned for the first 41 games last season.
01:11He said, you know, he and his agent, I guess, got a call around late August, early September,
01:17that there was an issue.
01:18He was very transparent in a couple of conversations over a three-week ban, and he said he found
01:22out about the ban two days before it became official.
01:25It was October 26, 2023.
01:28He said it sucked, but obviously, you know, couldn't get it, knew he did it, took the
01:35ban, and he came back very strong and ended up getting a two-year contract extension with
01:39the Ottawa Senators.
01:40So good for him.
01:41Hopefully, that's a lesson for every NHL player.
01:43We know that the NHLPA did a fall tour last season.
01:47It's happened to increase education efforts.
01:50Deputy Commissioner Bill Daley has said the league is in a good spot in terms of its policies.
01:54Players should know it.
01:55Hopefully, this won't happen again, but again, if you're a Canadian hockey player, do not
01:59have your friend in the U.S. bet for you because you are ineligible in Canada.
02:04That's a no-no.
02:05They get you banned for at least 41 games, and, you know, do they make an example of
02:09the next guy and get a harsher ban?
02:11Who knows?
02:12But, you know, certainly NHL players cannot bet on NHL games.
02:14That's prohibited, like every other sport.
02:16They can bet on everything else.
02:17Make sure you do it legally.
02:19Make sure you do it in a state where you are eligible or, you know, province, as in Canada.