Legal Bookmakers Have A Hisory Of Whistle Blowing
Many bookmakers are concerned when talk is raised about closing forever the loopholes that allow gambling in sports in the state of Nevada. One of the reasons they point to to keep gambling legal is the fact that in the recent history of gambling in sports, it is the legal bookies who alert officials when there is reason to believe that points shaving or other such scams are going on. A lot of the evidence both in America and in Europe suggests that this is a valid claim.
1994 Arizona State: In 1994, bookies in Las Vegas became suspicious over the frequent large wagers being placed against Arizona State towards the end of the season. When officials investigated, they uncovered a gambling ring in the school which involved a student bookie, several players on the team, and ties to organized crime. The FBI made several arrests and the bookmakers involved were sent to prison, although the players escaped with only light punishment.
2000 IFF Snai, the organization which legally oversees betting on Italian football, alerted the Italian Football Federation that something may be amiss after noting uncharacteristically high betting on the outcome of a match between Serie A opponents Atalanta and Pistoiese. The game in question took place during an Italian Cup match which ended in a 1-1 tie. Gambling organizers noted that there were many bets placed on Atalanta leading by a score of 1-0 at the end of the first half, with the final result a 1-1 tie. After investigating the incident, officials found eight players, one of the largest numbers in the history of gambling in sports in Europe, guilty of match fixing. Interestingly, none of the players received harsh punishments, and all continued to play professional soccer.
2006 Italy Serie A In a huge scandal, the Snai again alerted the IFF to a possible match-fixing scam. This time, though, the scandal did not involve two teams and a few players, it involved a total of five teams and numerous individuals. Juventus was forced to enter Serie B as well as being stripped of the title. Two other teams were also relegated they were reinstated upon appeal. All five teams involved received huge points penalties for the season.
2004-2005 UEFA Cup British bookmakers noted that the betting on Panionios was high during halftime of a match between the Greek team and Georgians Dinamo Tbilisi. In fact, the bets were fairly specific, with heavy betting on Panionios to win 5-2. The betting was made even more suspect since the Georgians were ahead 1-0 at halftime. An immediate investigation was launched after the game’s score became known, but both sides deny any fix.
Legal gambling sports bookmakers have long maintained that they have played a significant role in the history of gambling in sports by blowing the whistle on suspicious activities that indicate some type of fix. They maintain, and there appears to be some truth to the claims, that there will always be illegal gambling operations that are wiling to bribe players to fix matches, but as long as legal books are allowed to operate the chances of catching culprits is much greater. See our article on 'revolution and revultion in sports gambling'.
