THE Football Association has described East Thurrock United striker Lewis Smith as a “prolific gambler” after he bet on his own team to lose as he won almost £23,000 betting on football matches.

The 26-year-old was banned for 17 months by the FA last week and was handed a fine of £22,865 after he pleaded guilty to all 28 misdeeds, therefore breaching FA Rule E8(b) involving betting offences.

The FA has now released their written reasons for banning the striker, calling his betting activity ‘prolific’ and making reference to Smith as a “gambling addict”.

They added the money Smith had won in the course of his betting (£22,863.67) is believed to have been lost on further gambling.

Smith was found guilty of making the bets between April 7 2012 and April 23 2013, while playing for former club AFC Hornchurch, using betting sites including Victor Chandler, Bet 365 and BetVictor.

Smith staked a total of £4,586.50 on the 21 successful and seven attempted bets, pocketing up to as much as £5,250 on a single bet.

Of the 21 successfully places bets, Smith was a winner on 16 occasions, and made a profit of £18,277.17 on the bets he made .

Smith denied he had any ‘inside information’ when making the bets and said betting on his Hornchurch side to lose against Chelmsford City on October 30 2012 was a mistake.

However, the FA rejected his “shaky” testimony, with Smith described as “an unimpressive and unreliable witness”.

The written reasons also describe how others closely associated with Smith placed identical bets on identical outcomes in certain matches, with the FA saying the only possible conclusion was they had done so on information Smith had provided.

Smith must now repay the entirety of his winnings, with the FA indicating the fine would have been larger but for his modest basic income and the fact he has a young child.

To view the full written reasons for Smith’s ban, click here.