FIFA 23 Dumps Premier League Striker After Betting Ban

FIFA 23 fans have spotted that Ivan Toney, the striker of English club Brentford, has disappeared from the game after the latest squad update. The reason? The Football Association (FA) banned him for betting with a bookie.

In response, Electronic Arts (EA), the maker of FIFA 23, followed suit and ditched Toney from the game’s squad. 

But EA Sports is facing criticism for having gambling elements in FIFA 23 itself. The issue is loot boxes — virtual boxes that you can open with real cash, hoping to get rare player cards.

The catch is that you never know what’s inside the box. Sometimes you get lucky, but most times you get junk. That’s where the gambling comes in. And here’s something to note: an Austrian court officially classified FIFA 23 loot boxes as gambling.

As for Ivan Toney, he got an eight-month ban. It could have been worse, but he had some factors in his favor: his young age, admission of guilt, and a diagnosis of gambling addiction. By the way, he made over 250 bets, and 13 of them were against his own team.