Korn Ferry Tour golfers suspended for betting on PGA Tour events

Two members of the Korn Ferry Tour have been handed suspensions of three and six months for placing bets on PGA Tour competitions, adding to the list of professional athletes facing disciplinary action for sports betting.

Vince India and Jake Staiano, both golfers on the PGA Tour’s developmental feeder, have been found in violation of the Integrity Program, the PGA Tour announced in a press release. It’s important to note that neither of them placed bets on tournaments in which they were actively participating.

Vince India will serve a six-month suspension from PGA Tour-sanctioned events, with the suspension period running from September 18 through March 17, 2024. Jake Staiano has been slapped with a three-month ban from September 11 through December 10.

The PGA Tour has indicated that it will not provide any further comments regarding these suspensions.

Korn Ferry Tour’s Vince India, Jake Staiano the latest to get sports betting suspensions https://t.co/5tWDW3Wg9k pic.twitter.com/asRU2ZW3gr

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) October 27, 2023

In a related development, Shane Pinto, a forward for the Ottawa Senators in the NHL, recently became the first modern-day player in the league to receive discipline related to sports gambling. Pinto was suspended for 41 games, with the NHL specifying that the suspension was due to “activities relating to sports wagering”. The league did not provide additional details regarding the nature of the violation but stated that there was no evidence of Pinto betting on NHL games.

The NFL has recently disciplined at least 10 players for gambling, with receiver Calvin Ridley serving a suspension for the entire 2022 season due to his bets on NFL games. The NBA and Major League Baseball have not announced any recent disciplinary actions related to gambling, though the topic remains a growing concern in college sports.

Since the US Supreme Court cleared the way for legalised sports wagering in 2018, industry estimates suggest that Americans have collectively wagered over $220 billion on sports.

India, 34, has been a member of the Korn Ferry Tour since 2015 and boasts an impressive 176 events on his record. His career earnings across all tour levels amount to $662,823.

Staiano, 26, has participated in 17 events on the Korn Ferry Tour during his career, amassing earnings of $30,910.

Image credit: Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR