Online bookmaker takes bets on which footballer will come out first but denies 'trivialising' intrusion into player's personal lives

(Rex features)

An online bookmaker who is taking bets on which Premier League footballer has the “best odds” of coming out as gay has responded to criticism calling the stunt 'insensitive'.

It comes in the wake of reports claiming that two footballers - one of which plays for England - are set to come out before the start of the new season.

Win Cash Live lists a number of high-profile footballers under “First England footballer to come out as gay (before 1st September 2016”, including John Terry, Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck.

Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshire are among the footballers with the least likely odds, meaning if they were to come out within the next month, users could win up to £1,020.

(Win Cash Live)

Luke Shaw has the best odds to be the player who comes out, despite the Manchester United player already speaking about the rumours and denying he is gay.

Speaking to The Independent, a spokesperson for Win Cash Live said they did not intend to cause offence or trivialise anyone’s personal life.

“We think it is a shame that the culture in football has made it so difficult for gay players to come out. We do not want to cause offence and are not seeking to trivialise the coming out of a gay England footballer, but it is exactly the kind of high profile, unpredictable and topical market which wincashlive.com customers would expect us to offer odds on,” they said in a statement.

They also confirmed that running odds on people’s sexualities is something they do not regularly participate in.

The two players would be the first players to publicly announce they are gay while in the top flight of English football.