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Joey Barton has told the BBC that he believes gambling is "culturally ingrained" in English football and that as many as half of all players would fall foul of betting rules.
The 35-year-old ex-England midfielder is serving a 13-month ban for breaking the Football Association's betting rules after admitting placing bets on 1,260 matches.
The FA tightened its regulations in 2014 to stop players in England's top eight divisions betting on any football-related activity, anywhere in the world.
Barton, who will be able to play again from June 1, concedes he was right to be punished -- but claims he is far from the only professional footballer to have been in clear breach of the FA's rules.
The former Manchester City and Burnley midfielder also insists the issue runs deep in English football.
"I think, and I'm being conservative, I think 50 percent of the playing staff would be taken out [banned], because it's culturally ingrained," Barton told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "You'd have half the players out for sure."
Former England footballer @Joey7Barton says "50%" of professional footballers bet on matches, and says gambling is "culturally ingrained" in the sport. He thinks he will always be in recovery from his gambling addiction