Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez could be in breach of the Football Association’s gambling regulations after appearing to promote a betting company, according to a report by The Athletic.
The Argentina international, who won the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has been featured as an ambassador for bplay, an online betting and casino platform based in Argentina. A post on the company’s website from June 2024 introduces Martinez in the role and references a promotional commercial in which he appeared.
A more recent campaign launched in October 2025 reportedly featured Martinez alongside his brother, Alejandro Martinez, a professional motorsport driver. In the promotion, the pair wore each other’s sporting gear to highlight how “sport can unite even those who travel different paths”, according to the betting operator.
Martinez also appears regularly across bplay’s website and social media channels, where the company promotes betting markets across several competitions, including the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League.
Under FA rules, players are prohibited from promoting or endorsing betting activity if it relates to competitions they are involved in or can influence. The governing body’s regulations state that a participant “shall not be permitted to advertise or promote any betting activity” that they themselves are barred from engaging in.
The Athletic reported that the FA is aware of the situation. However, Aston Villa, Martinez’s representatives and bplay had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
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The FA has previously taken action in similar circumstances. In 2019, former Everton defender Yerry Mina was fined £10,000 after appearing in a television advert in Colombia promoting a betting company.
The issue also emerges amid broader scrutiny around gambling’s presence in English football. Villa currently have Betano, a sports betting company, as their front-of-shirt sponsor in a deal signed ahead of the 2024-25 season.
However, Premier League clubs have agreed to remove front-of-shirt gambling sponsors starting from the 2026-27 season, as part of efforts to reduce the visibility of betting partnerships in the sport.
In recent years the FA has also increased education programmes for players regarding betting rules, particularly following high-profile disciplinary cases involving gambling offences.
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