SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The PGA Tour has announced the suspension of two players on the Korn Ferry Tour for violating the Integrity Programme.
Vince India and Jake Staiano had placed bets on PGA Tour competitions, the tournament emphasised in an emailed statement, though they did not bet on competitions of which they were participants.
India is suspended from PGA Tour-sanctioned competition for six months as of 18 September 2023, meanwhile Staiano is banned for three months, with his suspension starting on 11 September 2023.
The suspensions are believed to be the first gambling violations enforced by the PGA Tour, and are the first that have been announced since the Tour enacted its Integrity Programme back in 2018.
This was created in the aftermath of the landmark Supreme Court decision earlier that year reversing a nationwide ban on sports betting, allowing for states to legalise betting on their own.
The Tour did not reveal further information about the nature of the bets, and it remains unknown as to why India’s suspension is twice the length of Staiano’s.
The Tour currently holds deals with five betting operators Fanduel, Pointsbet, bet365, BetMGM and Betparx, and also has a ‘lucrative partnership’ with sportsbook DraftKings.
34-year-old Vince India is from the US and turned professional in 2011, with a current Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) of 936. Meanwhile, fellow US player Staiano is 26 years old and turned professional in 2019.
