The Shane Pinto situation has taken an intriguing turn in the last 24 hours, as new details have emerged regarding the 41-game suspension handed down by the NHL. It has come to light that Pinto opened an account on a gambling website, triggering a response from the NHL's head office.
This revelation was shared by Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, who provided insight into Pinto's actions and the potential impact on other NHL players. According to Garrioch, many players were unaware that opening an online betting account would lead to their information being shared with the league's security department for compliance purposes. This revelation has prompted a rush among players to delete gambling apps from their phones.
"We've been led to believe that NHL players weren't aware, until Pinto's suspension, that any player who opens an online betting account has their information forwarded to the league's security department for compliance purposes.
You can be certain there were players across the league deleting the gambling apps on their phones once they found out that this was the case in the last 24 to 48 hours." - Bruce Garrioch, Ottawa Sun
The NHL's investigation into Pinto did not find any evidence of him betting on his team's games or any NHL contests. Instead, it seemed to focus on his activities related to other leagues through the gambling website.
This situation raises a crucial question: Should the NHL formally inform its players, who are essentially its employees, about the potential for suspensions resulting from creating accounts on gambling websites?
While the answer remains uncertain, it is likely that this issue will be addressed and clarified during the next round of collective bargaining negotiations, potentially leading to written agreements on the matter.