Its the same legal offence, I don't think there is any doubt about that. Defrauding bookmakers. And as such the punishments have to be the same really, I accept that now. Give an inch and they'l take a mile.
I'm still appalled over the Le Tissier thing. That he would do it in the first place, that he openly admitted it and didn't appreciate the seriousness of it and that he pretty much got away with it and everyone had a laugh over it.
It was an opportunity for the English game to take a stance and it didn't. If Le Tissier had been disowned it may have made some future offenders realise it just wasn't worth the risk, probably not, but maybe.
For me this is far worse than drugs in sport. It starts making you question what you are watching, whether the players are up to something or just plain fucking incompetent.