Ryan Atkins has been banned from rugby league for three months after betting on a game featuring former club Wakefield Trinity.
The centre had parted company with Wakefield when he placed a bet on their Super League game with Wigan Warriors in September.
Rules state that a player can’t place a bet if they have been registered with a club in the previous 12 months.
He will be unable to train with his new club, York City Knights, until February.
In a statement, Atkins said: “I regret placing the bet, and if I could wind back the clock, I would not have done so. I’d like to thank the RFL for the fair decision and York City Knights for their support and standing by me during this difficult time.
“I look forward to meeting up with the squad early February and paying back that support.”
The RFL said: “In reaching its decision the RFL accepted that this was a single bet, placed when Atkins was no longer a Wakefield player and made without using ‘inside’ information. The player cooperated fully with the RFL investigation, having admitted the charge promptly.
“The sanction imposed reflects these and other mitigating factors, but acknowledges that betting on Rugby League matches by any individual bound by the RFL’s Operational Rules is a strict liability offence.”
