The Football Association (FA) has handed former Cheltenham Town striker Ryan Bowman a 42-month ban from the sport for “serious” betting offences.
During the FA’s investigation, Bowman admitted to placing 6,397 bets across an eight-year period spanning from June 2015 to September 2023.
Within that time, Bowman had spells at National League outfit Gateshead, Scottish Premier League side Motherwell and several English Football League (EFL) teams including Exeter City and Shrewsbury Town.
According to the findings of the independent regulatory commission, which heard the case, the 33-year-old placed nearly 2,600 bets from December 2020 to July 2021 while he was at Exeter.
The striker made a further 3,100 wagers between August 2021 and July 2023 while playing for Shrewsbury.
The independent commission found Bowman was extensively using other people’s accounts to place bets in a “further attempt to hide his extensive football betting activity, which he knew at all material times, was against the rules”.
A commission statement read: “This is a most serious case which includes a number of egregious examples of breaches of The FA rules against betting.”
Out of all the bets he placed, 351 included games in competitions that Exeter and Shrewsbury participated in. He also staked 87 bets on his own clubs and six spot bets on himself to score during games.
Bowman placed eight bets against Shrewsbury during his time at the club, three of which were while he played the entire match.
The commission also said that Bowman staked a bet from the substitutes bench during a match between Shrewsbury and MK Dons, although he denied this allegation.
Bowman signed for Cheltenham Town on a one-year deal in July 2024. He last played for the club on 1 January 2025.
He proceeded to feature in two matchday squads without coming off the bench, with his last involvement with the first team squad coming in February at home to Barrow.
The club said they were aware of the FA investigation when Bowman joined the club.
A club statement read: “Cheltenham officials were aware that Ryan was under investigation by the FA when he signed for the club at the start of the 2024-25 season, but the full extent of the offences was not known until October, when charges were brought under the FA’s betting regulations.
“Club officials supported Ryan through what has been a difficult time for him and, despite his departure from Cheltenham Town this summer, again we would like to place on record our thanks to him and wish him and his family all the best for the future.”
A Shrewsbury Town statement noted: “While we are disappointed with the severity of the offences, we have done everything in our power to support Ryan and his family.
We also reaffirm our full support for the FA’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of the game.”
Bowman’s ban is dated back to March and will run until September 2028.
The post Former EFL striker hit with 42-month ban following “egregious” betting breaches first appeared on EGR Intel.
Ryan Bowman sanctioned by the Football Association after placing 6,397 bets over an eight-year period between June 2015 and September 2023
The post Former EFL striker hit with 42-month ban following “egregious” betting breaches first appeared on EGR Intel.