“I genuinely thought it was okay to bet” - Marco Penge publicly pleads guilty to DP World’s betting allegations

DP World Tour star Marco Penge has been suspended for gambling on the sport. A statement from the Tour revealed that the 26-year-old violated the Integrity Program and fined the golfer £2,000 on top of a three-month suspension.

Following the announcement, Penge took to his X (formerly known as Twitter) to issue a statement. He pleaded guilty and detailed the circumstances of his violation along with disciplinary actions taken against him by the DP World Tour.

The statement read (via X @PengeMarco):

"All of my bets were positive bets (meaning betting on someone to win rather than lose) and a majority of them were in the majors and Ryder Cup... From the moment this came to light, I fully cooperated with the tour throughout the whole process to ensure their investigation went as smooth as possible. I genuinely thought it was ok to bet on golf as long as it wasn't on myself or tournaments I was competing in."

He added:

"After I had found out that I had breached the rules and revisited the Integrity Policy at greater depth, it was only then that I realised this wasn't the case. This was all a genuine and honest mistake that I have taken full responsibility for and I will never ever make the same mistake again."

According to the statement, a betting agency informed the DP World Tour earlier this year of Marco Penge's betting habits on golf in 2022. He had an overall stake of £24 and a total profit of £250. The Englishman placed these bets almost a year before the Tour's Integrity Programme education course in 2023.

Marco Penge claimed that betting made golf more fun to watch and that he went through with his actions for 'entertainment purposes.' After the information came to light and flooded social media, the golfer took the opportunity to thank his fans for supporting him through this. The statement further read (via X @PengeMarco):

"I would just like to say a massive thank you to my team, sponsors, family and friends for supporting me through this matter and thank you to everyone for the warming messages I have received so far! Times like this really show who care about you the most! I will be back and raring to go in Kenya on the 20th February. Until then, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas with your loved ones."

Here's a look at Penge's statement posted on X:

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DP World Tour's Disciplinary Panel comments on Marco Penge's violation

On Wednesday, December 18, the DP World Tour issued a statement on their website disclosing Marco Penge's violations. According to the statement, the body brought together an independent disciplinary panel to decide the consequences.

Penge was found in violation of Regulation 3(a)(i) of the Integrity Programme. The rule states that no player is allowed to bet on any other golfer, result, or progress of any amateur or professional golf tournament.

The statement read (via DP World Tour):

"The Disciplinary Panel ruled that Penge’s breaches merited a three month suspension with one month suspended for a period of 12 months pending further breaches of the Programme. The suspension took effect on 13 December 2024 and Penge can return to DP World Tour participation from 13 February 2025 onwards. He was also fined £2,000."

The Disciplinary Panel that heard Marco Penge's case was headed by Philip Evans KC, sport administrator Les Vernon, and Legends Tour Member Simon Khan. The DP World Tour announced that they will make no further comment regarding this matter.