Sports Betting CEO Accepts Job as Soccer Chief

Ralph Topping, the CEO of sports betting operator William Hill, took on a second job as chairman of soccer's Scottish Premier League.

In a move that illustrates how nonsensical NFL arguments against gambling are, Ralph Topping, the CEO of bookmaker William Hill, was offered and accepted a concurrent post as chairman of the Scottish Premier League, the nation's top soccer organization. The head of the sports betting operator was named to the post without a worry expressed about potential loss of league match integrity.

Sports Betting CEO Accepts Job as Soccer Chief

Ralph Topping, the CEO of sports betting operator William Hill, took on a second job as chairman of soccer's Scottish Premier League.

In a move that illustrates how nonsensical NFL arguments against gambling are, Ralph Topping, the CEO of bookmaker William Hill, was offered and accepted a concurrent post as chairman of the Scottish Premier League, the nation's top soccer organization. The head of the sports betting operator was named to the post without a worry expressed about potential loss of league match integrity.

The NFL has successfully denied US citizens the right to play at sports gambling by insisting that permitting such, outside of Nevada, would irrevocably harm the public perception of the football league and its games. Nevada is treated as a magical land by NFL spokesmen, the invisible place which somehow operates without corrupting influence, while all other attempts to legalize sports betting are met with shudders.

Meanwhile, the realistic European attitude openly recognizes the symbiotic relationship between gambling and sports, one the NFL says doesn't exist while they provide daily injury updates to the players feeding hundreds of billions to illegal sports books. The European sports leagues see no conflict even with the head of its top sports betting group also running a top soccer league.

"It is reassuring to know that, with the recent appointment of Neil Doncaster as chief executive and the appointment today of Ralph Topping as chairman, the SPL will be in good hands," said outgoing chairman Lex Gould.

"I am very excited to be joining the SPL in a role that marries three of my greatest passions: business, Scotland and football," said Topping.