He got the SHORTEST possible ban according to The FA as reported by the BBC.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39738553
The Football Association says Joey Barton's 18-month suspension from all football activities was "the shortest possible" ban it could have imposed after he breached rules on...
For those who say the punishment is too severe, he broke the football betting rules not once, not twice but over 1200 times, across a period of 10 years+. This despite knowing what he did was wrong and punishable if found out. It's as though he was sticking 2 fingers up to The FA just as though...