Some people believe that bookmakers are involved in match-fixing. However, it is wrong. Match fixing today is much more than just someone’s desire to enrich themselves illegally. It is a severe problem for both the betting industry and sports in general. Let’s find out how sportsbooks confront the organizers of unfair competitions.
The Problem of Match Fixing
Match fixing is present in every sport: football, hockey, tennis, volleyball, etc. Everyone understands that many more fixed matches can be revealed one way or another. Modern sports are full of money and allow you to earn even more. In pursuit of their goals, sports officials, managers, and others resort to prohibited actions and violate not only sports principles but also the law. It causes invisible, at first glance, but significant damage to the development of sports, local and global, including youth.
Bookmakers’ Attitude Toward Match Fixing
There is a widespread belief that match-fixing is the business of bookmakers. But that’s not true. On the contrary, match-fixing is a serious threat to bookmakers in the form of losses, sometimes incommensurable with further activities, although this applies to small platforms.
Sportsbooks are constantly improving algorithms for identifying unfair competition and working closely with regulatory authorities. Thus, betting platforms oppose match-fixing and actively fight against it.
Detection Methods
If you expect to gain access to the results of match-fixing and get rich, then do not give yourself vain hopes. Better take advantage of deposit bonuses by Melbet Nigeria. The security service of betting companies knows how to identify suspicious matches. How do they do it?
- The primary indicator by which betting companies manage to recognize a so-called “strange” and potentially fixed match is an abnormal change in odds in bookmakers that cannot be explained using mathematics.
- The second signal for an investigation into the involvement of a sporting event in a contractual scheme is a sharp increase in the amount of bets on it. It often happens that on a market on which 10-20 thousand dollars are usually bet in total, more than 100 thousand dollars are bet in one round. It is especially noticeable in unpopular markets, such as youth championships or lower divisions.
- Lots of intentional mistakes. Sometimes, it may seem that athletes deliberately spoil the game: they do not score a penalty, give the ball to the opponent, or commit various violations for which they receive cards. The referee can also behave this way – for example, ignore blatant fouls or favor one of the teams.
- A sharp change in the situation on the field. One team was inferior to the other throughout the match, but at some point, the balance of power changed dramatically. It happened without any game prerequisites: a strong team suddenly began to play weaker or vice versa.
- Unusual result of the match. Football is an unpredictable game: a famous and rich club can lose to a modest team from a small town simply by underestimating the opponent or not being in the mood for the game. But sometimes, this is alarming and, together with other factors, serves as a reason to check the participants in the game.
- Numerous bets from the accounts of relatives of game participants.
It doesn’t matter whether the bet was made using insider information or by accident. The bookmaker has the right to freeze all current bets on this event while they investigate and determine all the circumstances under which a strange result could occur. Sometimes, bookmakers simply refund bets. Most players consider such decisions to be incorrect, but they fully comply with the rules of bookmakers: bets can be canceled without explanation.
Danger for Bettors
It is also worth saying a few words about scammers who profit from simple bettors. You can often find information about the results of fixed matches. This problem is relevant not only for Nigerian sports but throughout the world. These ads offer you the chance to buy insider information and win vast amounts of money. Of course, this is a scam, and you will waste your money.
To think that anyone can buy information about a fixed match and then calmly place a bet is, at the very least, ridiculous. Any bookmaker has its analysts, not to mention Federbet and other organizations fighting corruption in sports betting. No one will miss hundreds of identical exact bets on the same outcome. Ask yourself: “Why would a person with information about match-fixing sell it for pennies instead of betting any money on the outcome without any unnecessary risks that the match will be discovered and earning many times more?”
Conclusion
Match fixing is present in modern sports in large numbers. But thanks to the fact that official organizations and bookmakers have united and are fighting corruption in sports, the situation is gradually improving. Everyone will agree that sports should be fair, and the presence of agreements is a disgrace to their organizers and participants. It is a mistake to think that they will disappear altogether. Still, hopefully, their numbers will be significantly reduced in the future, especially in youth sports and the top-level leagues.