Ex-Cheltenham Player Ryan Bowman Banned for Placing over 6K Bets

Ex-Cheltenham, Shrewsbury, and Exeter star Ryan Bowman has been handed a three-and-a-half-year ban after placing more than 6000 bets on soccer. His ban, which started in March, will run until September 2028.

 Football Association Bans Ryan Bowman 

According to an investigation, Bowman placed a bet from the substitutes’ bench during a match between Shrewsbury and MK Dons that was already in progress in January 2023, an allegation he denied. In addition, Bowman reportedly placed nearly 2,600 bets between December 2020 and July 2021 while playing for Exeter. This was followed by approximately 3,100 more from August 2021 to July 2023 during his time at Shrewsbury. 

Bowman placed eight bets against Shrewsbury, including three matches in which he played the full 90 minutes. He also made six spot bets on himself to score during games. In total, 351 of his bets involved competitions that Exeter and Shrewsbury took part in. Of those, 87 were placed on his teams, 47 of them involving Shrewsbury.

It was determined that Bowman had used accounts belonging to other individuals to place bets, which was considered an aggravating factor, especially after he had initially implied the bets might have been made by a friend. Additionally, his earlier claim that the wagers were related to horse racing was proven to be false. According to the commission that investigated the situation, it is “a most serious case,” which highlights multiple egregious breaches of the Football Association’s betting regulations.

Bowman started his career at Carlisle before going on to play for several National League clubs, including Darlington, Hereford, Torquay, and Gateshead. In 2016, he signed with Motherwell, and three years later, he joined Exeter City, where he scored 34 goals in 112 appearances.

He moved to Shrewsbury Town in 2021, making 135 appearances and netting 22 goals. In June 2022, he underwent heart surgery following an incident of heart palpitations during a match. Last season, he made 22 appearances for Cheltenham Town, scoring three goals, but did not appear in a matchday squad after January 1.

Clubs React to the Situation

Cheltenham Town, who signed Ryan Bowman on a one-year contract in July of last year, stated that while they were aware he was under investigation, they did not know the “full extent” of the situation until October. The club noted that officials had supported Bowman during what was described as a difficult period for him. Despite his departure from the club this summer, Cheltenham expressed their gratitude for his time with them and extended their best wishes to him and his family for the future.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Shrewsbury Town acknowledged their disappointment with the seriousness of the offences but emphasized that they had done everything possible to support Bowman and his family.