Quins flanker Will Skinner is amongst those to have benefited from the RPA seminars © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Will Skinner

Tournaments/Tours: Aviva Premiership

Teams: England

External Links: RFU Regulation 17 - Betting & Wagering

The Rugby Players' Association (RPA) has taken steps to ensure that the recent betting scandals to affect football, cricket and snooker are not repeated in the Aviva Premiership.

The players' union, in partnership with Premiership Rugby and the Professional Players' Federation (PPF), have conducted a series of seminars underlining the Rugby Football Union's (RFU) policy on gambling and the consequences of involvement in any betting scam.

Under RFU regulations, players are forbidden from betting on any game in which they or their club are involved and are also required to report any approaches that may contravene the rules on match-fixing, with the International Rugby Board (IRB) or police their next port of call.

"We are carrying out the programme because over the course of last year a number of sports have been hit by scandals," said Richard Bryan, Player Development Manager for London Irish and Bath. "Although nothing has come to light in rugby, it is always better to play safe and make sure the players are educated. This is a proactive programme rather than a reactive programme."

Alarmingly, feedback from the seminars revealed that 59% of players were previously unaware of the regulations governing betting.

"I knew the basic fundamentals of betting but we are now aware of the finer details," commented Harlequins flanker Will Skinner.

"Some players in the past may have fallen into the pitfalls of perhaps giving tips on games or any inside information to friends and families. Even though they would not have directly affected the game, we have learnt that you can be charged for being involved indirectly."