BETTING on sport is nearly as old as sport itself and there is no doubt that it can be an insidious and dangerous part of the industry.

But as a ban is impractical, and impossible to enforce, there needs to be a more inventive solution found.

Lest we forget, match fixing to profit from bets isn’t an invention of the online gambling age.

It’s 96 years since seven Liverpool and Manchester United players were banned for their parts in a conspiracy that saw Manchester United win 2-0, at odds of 7/1.

Since then there have been a whole host of gambling problems – from the seemingly trivial throw-ins that were conceded mere seconds after kick-off to the Pakistani cricketers bowling no-balls at Lord’s.

There are the rare examples of large-scale corruption, such as the case before the courts this week, but there are many, many more that are the consequence of gambling being part and parcel of sporting culture.

This does cause major problems for individuals – former Leeds United and Cardiff City striker Michael Chopra is the latest sportsman to admit to a gambling addiction. This week he has estimated that his has cost him up to £2m.

That is the result of a combination of the inexplicably large salaries that are paid at the top level to people who often don’t have the skills to manage their money and the fact that these full-time sportsmen actually only work part-time hours. It is little surprise that some fill the void with activities that lead to addictions.

One solution would be to slash players’ pay and increase their working hours – which could be achieved by working in coaching and community programmes. Will it happen? I wouldn’t bet on it.