Wednesday evening, the humiliation experienced by the Racing Club de Lens in the Champions League made people happy. Notably the sports journalist Bertrand Latour.
Indeed, he revealed that he had placed a sports bet concerning the number of goals scored, in total, during the meeting between the Sang et Or and Como. The footage, supposedly off-air, ended up on social media, going viral.
Knowing that Bertrand Latour was working on this match, did he have the right to bet on it? From a strictly legal point of view in France, the answer is affirmative. If we refer to the Sports Code, the prohibitions in this area mainly target those involved in competitions.
Bertrand Latour was within his rights
It is therefore the players, coaches, referees and even managers who would find themselves illegal by making identical bets. No general provision of the Sports Code, the Internal Security Code or the Gaming Regulation (ANJ) prohibits a journalist or consultant from betting money on a match he or she is covering.
However, there is a risk of conflict of interest or bias. The employer media, Canal+ in this case, may have stricter internal rules. To date, Bertrand Latour has not been sanctioned for having bet “live” on the match between Lens and Como.
