Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto lifted the lid on his 41-game suspension for violating the NHL's gambling rules. <\/p>\n
\"I had my buddies - because I was in Canada - just place bets for me in America,\" he explained during a recent appearance on the \"Empty Netters\" podcast. \"I wasn't a Canadian citizen so I couldn't really use a Canadian sportsbook. ... That's proxy betting, so that's obviously a big no-no. It was an illegal act so, obviously, it was a pretty big deal. <\/p>\n
\"So that's why we didn't want to fight (the suspension) and we just kinda accepted it.\" <\/p>\n
The league announced that Pinto would be banned for half the 2023-24 campaign in late October, marking the NHL's first betting-related ban in the world of online wagering. There was no evidence to suggest that Pinto bet on NHL games. <\/p>\n
Pinto said he leaned on his family and teammates during his time on the sidelines and focused on his training while also staying away from social media. <\/p>\n
The 23-year-old made his season debut in late January and chipped in with nine goals and 27 points in 41 outings, good for the highest point-per-game rate (0.66) of his career. <\/p>\n
\"I just did my best with the hand I got dealt with,\" Pinto said. \"Obviously it was a little bit my fault, so I'm not gonna like, (ask for) pity over it. I thought I did a good job of responding from it.\" <\/p>\n
He added: \"I'm glad it's over, but I learned a lot from it. Thank god it's all behind me.\" <\/p>\n
Pinto was limited to just five games in 2021-22 because of a shoulder injury, which he said was \"tough,\" but acknowledged that his gambling suspension was \"brutal.\" <\/p>\n
\"I let down the boys, that's just what it was,\" he said. \"That was the worst part about it. ... We had a tough start (to the year) - not saying it was a big deal that I wasn't there - but, still, it was a big distraction. ... I never wanted to be like that towards the fellas.\" <\/p>\n
Pinto was a restricted free agent this summer and the Senators signed him to a two-year extension with a $3.75-million cap hit in early July. The New York native represented the United States at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where he totaled nine points in eight games. <\/p>\n
Ottawa selected him with the first pick of the second round during the 2019 NHL Draft. Pinto has amassed 30 goals and 70 points in 140 career games. <\/p>\n
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Pinto says gambling suspension was result of proxy betting - theScore<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto lifted the lid on his 41-game suspension for violating the NHL's gambling rules. \"I had my buddies - because I was in Canada - just place bets for me in America,\" he explained during a recent appearance on the \"Empty Netters\" podcast. \"I wasn't a Canadian citizen so I couldn't really use a Canadian sportsbook Continue reading