The papers reckon an England footballer is going to come out as gay. Fancy a bet on who it’ll be? #gayfootballer https://t.co/HiYCE1MCfA
— Win Cash Live (@wincashlive) October 27, 2015
Interactive betting operator “Win Cash Live” (subsidiary of Lean Forward Ltd) has sparked controversy by offering a market on which “England International footballer will come out as gay”
The betting operator opened its market following the Daily Mirror’s weekend revelations that two professional football players were ready to reveal their sexuality at the end the Premier League season.
The newspaper further detailed that one of the unnamed players had played for the England national team. The news has sparked substantial speculation on social media regarding who the individuals might be.
On Tuesday, Win Cash Live opened its “gay footballer” market and further distributed a press release promoting it to the general public.
Sexual rights charity Stonewall has openly criticised the operator, stating; “Homophobia in sport is a real issue that should not be cashed in on or be trivialized in such manner”
Defending his company’s actions Lean Forward CEO & Co-Founder Ashley Faull commented to the Daily Mail
“We do not want to cause offense and are not seeking to trivialize the coming out of a gay England footballer, but it is the kind of high profile unpredictable market which Win Cash Live customers would expect us to offer odds on.”
“We think it is a shame that the culture in football has made it so difficult for gay players to come out,”
Win Cash Live – “gay footballer” market