Jake Staino, a suspended player on the Korn Ferry Tour, disclosed that the PGA Tour had banned him for placing bets on Bryson DeChambeau vs. Brooks Koepka.
Jake Staiano, a player for Korn Ferry, has given some background on his suspension. He had placed three bets on Brooks Koepka during his exhibition match and one wager on Bryson DeChambeau making a birdie during a PGA Tour event.
The North American circuit banned two players last week, including Staiano.
The two players’ wagering on PGA Tour events was verified by the official communications department of the tour in a memo.
Most importantly, though, neither player placed a wager on any competitions in which they competed.
Vince India has been informed that he will not be able to play for six months, while Staiano has been given a three-month ban.
The PGA Tour is declining to comment further on the situation, as they always do.
For example, how much was wagered? How frequently? How was the decision to suspend made? Which circumstances were aggravating and mitigating?
To give his side of the story, Staiano appeared on the Any Given Monday podcast with Ryan French, also known as Monday Q Info.
It turns out that the golfer received a suspension for making four wagers total
One bet was placed on DeChambeau to make a birdie on a par-5 during in the 2021 FedEx St. Jude Championship and the other three were on November’s edition of The Match between the 2020 U.S. Open champion and Koepka.
In the 30-minute interview, he claimed the ‘appeal process’ was stacked against him. He also wanted to clear his name. Gambling is not a recurring theme in his life, he said.
What makes the punishment even worse for Staiano is that he is unable to peg it up at PGA Tour Q-School now.
The beginning
He was aware of the investigation in May. Staiano told the podcast he was the subject of an ‘integrity violation’ and initially ‘didn’t think anything about it’.
The PGA Tour reportedly hired a firm to carry out background checks on everyone associated the tour with regards to gambling.
Staiano said he was called by one of the investigators. At no point did he ever deny placing the bets, he said.
Initially, he believed he may be let of the hook with a slap on the wrist.
Then he was emailed personally by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan confirming he had been banned for three months.
“I’m like, damn, that’s Q School,” he said. After talking to a lawyer, he made the decision to appeal the ban.
Referencing the fine print of the gambling policy, Staino explained the wording excluded members from betting on ‘professional golf events’.
The Match is a made-for-TV contest for charity.
“I think if I can fight that [the Brooks vs. Bryson match], maybe I can reduce the penalty,” he said. “Instead of being punished for four acts of gambling.”
Staiano said the bets were placed after practice one day. He said he ‘didn’t feel’ like he was part of the Tour, despite having conditional status.
“It didn’t even cross my mind [that he shouldn’t place the bet],” he said. “It wasn’t malicious.”
He said he did not consider The Match ‘a professional golf event’.
Though he conceded: “I understand that betting on professional golf is wrong. I want the people to know, it wasn’t [with] malicious intent. It wasn’t to defy the PGA Tour’s rules.”
The appeal process
Staiano told the pod the appeal would be an arbitration with third parties.
He said if he appealed the ban and lost, he would’ve been liable to pay the legal fees of ‘all three’ arbiters.
“Who knows, they [the arbiter] could charge $1,000 an hour for 30 hours and all of a sudden I’m looking at $30,000 [bill] if I lose,” he said.
After sitting down with his parents, Staiano said he decided it wasn’t worth the appeal. He has, however, been refunded the $4,500 fees he has paid for originally entering Q School.
“It is what is is”
Staiano made it clear he wants other people to learn from what happened.
He was asked if there was any unfairness about the whole thing.
“I’m not a degenerate gambler,” he said. “I’m not betting thousands of dollars. I’m not doing that with other sports. Obviously, the press release was a little vague. I just want to get it out there and say, ‘Hey, I was 24 or 25 at the time and I made a mistake.'”
The press release for the tour, according to Staino, gave the impression that he and India were “evil guys” who were “betting all the time.”
It wasn’t all that deep. That is undoubtedly a frustrating part.”
According to Staiano, he had not discussed his predicament with India.
Jay Monahan
Undoubtedly the biggest problem for Staino is he’s missing out on Q School.
He wasn’t in direction communication with the commissioner but had been told that if the ban was delayed until after Q School and he made it through, then he would be taking up a spot from another player.
“I can understand that,” he conceded.
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