Notts County defender Lewis Macari has charged by the Football Association for purportedly violating betting regulations. Macari, who is the grandson of ex-Manchester United midfielder Lou Macari, is accused of breaking the rules over a three-year period.
The 23-year-old is alleged to have placed 354 bets on football matches between February 25, 2020 and December 4, 2022. He has until July 18 to respond to the charge. Macari was part of Stoke's youth team when he allegedly placed these bets. Despite coming through the Potters' academy, he only made a single appearance for the senior team and spent some time on loan at Irish club Dundalk during the period of the alleged violations.
The FA released a statement saying: "Lewis Macari of Notts County FC has been charged with breaching The FA's betting rules. It's alleged that the player breached FA Rule E1(b) 354 times by placing bets on football matches between 25 February 2020 and 4 December 2022. Lewis Macari has until 18 July to provide a response."
Notts County responded in a statement: "The FA have informed us that Lewis Macari has been charged in relation to alleged breaches of their betting rules.
"The alleged offences took place between 25 February 2020 and 4 December 2022. We will be supporting Lewis and his representatives throughout the investigation process and will be making no further comment at this stage."
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Macari has turned out 61 times for Notts County since his arrival at the League Two outfit from Stoke in 2023. The defender, who has earned caps for Scotland at Under-18 level, featured in 33 matches for County last term as they secured sixth place in League Two.
The club ultimately fell short of promotion after suffering defeat to AFC Wimbledon in the play-off semi-final, and will kick off their League Two campaign on August 2 with an away fixture against Newport County.
Macari becomes the latest player to face FA charges for alleged betting violations this year, following former Cheltenham and Shrewsbury striker Ryan Bowman and Wimbledon's Osman Foyo.
Bowman received a three-and-a-half-year suspension for placing 6,397 bets across an eight-year period. Foyo, meanwhile, faced charges last week over alleged bets placed on 252 occasions between October 2023 and March 2025.
Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali completed a 10-month suspension for violating betting regulations following an investigation by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). The Italy international, who moved to Newcastle from AC Milan in July 2023 for £55million, accepted an 18-month disqualification, eight months of which will be converted to "a therapeutic plan" to assist "recovery from gambling addiction".
The Professional Footballers' Association of Northern Ireland joined forces with software provider Gamban to prevent gambling access in April. Melissa Etherington, partnerships executive at Gamban, stated: "Gambling addiction is a growing issue in football, which impacts mental health, finances and a player's performance on the pitch.
"It also has the potential to impact sports integrity. We are delighted to partner with PFA NI to raise awareness of Gamban among those most at risk from harms related to online gambling."