Ipswich Town striker Michael Chopra charged with race fixing by British Horseracing Authority If found guilty of stopping a horse - deliberately preventing it winning - he could be banned for eight years. Chopra, Coppinger and Wilson are alleged to have been part of a fixing operation that also included five other individuals not licensed under the rules of racing. The Football Association is aware of the charges but is unlikely to take any action against the players immediately. It will let the BHA process run its course before considering any disciplinary measures. While club owners and directors can face sanctions for breaches of the rules of other sports, there are no regulations directly addressing the issue in relation to players. Heffernan, 24, who is reported to have ridden as an apprentice for Mick Channon and Mark Johnston, moved to Australia to race earlier this year. He is understood to have been stood down from riding by the Australian authorities following the BHA charges. Chopra, who has scored three times for Ipswich this season, has admitted to a long-standing gambling addiction and has claimed to have lost more than £1m as a result. In 2011 he was admitted for treatment at the Sporting Chance clinic and commuted from the addiction treatment centre to training and matches. In an attempt to help him Ipswich have also at times paid his monthly wages directly to those he owes significant amounts. when he signed for the club in June 2011 Ipswich paid him £250,000 to help settle his debts. Speaking in November 2011, Chopra talked about his gambling habit. Your first bet's your worst bet. As the years have come along and I've earned more money I've started to gamble more. I was gambling up to £20,000 a day at times. As soon as I'd step over the white line I would focus on football - but as soon as I got to the dressing room I would check my phone to see if I'd won. As a gambler you want to be playing to get the appearance money. I was playing through injury to cover a debt. Chopra, who is a Newcastle fan, revealed he left Cardiff for Sunderland because the signing-on fee would pay off a gambling debt. In my first season at Cardiff I had a gambling debt from when I was at Newcastle. I had to leave Cardiff and sign for another team to pay that debt off. I have probably lost between £1.5m and £2m on gambling. Coppinger, 31, joined Forest in August from Doncaster, where he made 263 appearances in an eight-year spell. He has made two appearances for his new club this season. His Twitter profile page @copster26 reads: "Success comes from good decisions. good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from bad decisions. Wilson joined United as a trainee in 1997, playing three times for the first team and once for England under-21s, in 2000, before joining Middlesbrough in 2001 for £1.5m. He has played for 11 other clubs, including a one-year spell in the US playing for Dallas FC. His most recent club was Oxford United, but he was released earlier this year.