Cheating - Part 1
One of Northern Ireland's leading bookmakers on Saturday suspended betting on three league matches--Cliftonville v. Armagh, Glenavon v. Limavady and Larne v. Portadown--after observing suspicious betting activity. "Only small bets were involved, but there was a certain popular bet, and we felt there was a risk," a spokesman for bookmaker Sean Graham said. Now the Irish Football Association (IFA) is investigating a possible betting scam surrounding Glenavon's 4-0 victory over Armagh City on Saturday. "Too much information has come to me that suggests we can't let it slip," IFA Chief Executive Howard Wells said. "We gather there is information out there that would be of interest to us." Joe Megarity, who runs two shops in the Co Armagh town, said a £300 bet on the Genavon v. Armagh City game was placed on behalf of one of the players. "One of my regulars came in, and after he placed the bet, he said he'd done it for one of the players in the match. He was warning me to be careful," Megarity said.
Cheating - Part 2
Austrian authorities in April began investigating whether coach Michael Petrovic and forward Bojan Filipovic of first-division football club Sturm Graz were involved in match fixing. German police recorded telephone conversations between the pair and two unidentified people in Germany who were allegedly involved in a betting and game fixing-scandal. Filipovic is also suspected of taking money to play passively in a game against Salzburg during which he reportedly apologized for scoring a goal. Further, Styrian security officials that said the two were allegedly involved in an attempt to rig a match against Austria Magna in Vienna on Feb. 25 which ended in a 0-0 draw. Both men deny the allegations.
Cheating - Part 3
FIFA announced last week that every player, official and referee in the World Cup will have to sign a written pledge that he will not bet on the tournament. "There will be special instructions to all the referees, linesmen, players, coaches and official delegations in the World Cup," FIFA President Sepp Blatter said. "They will have to sign a paper saying that they will never, themselves or their families, be involved in betting on the World Cup or any other problems." The body has also devised an early warning system in which it will work with big bookmakers and betting markets to monitor suspicious betting patterns during the finals this summer in Germany.
Cheating - Part 4
Britain's major sports organizations on April 19 signed a code of conduct designed to stamp out the problem of cheating that is said to be deeply embedded in European sports. Drafted by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in partnership with the Jockey Club and the Football Association, the code of practice already has the support of nine sporting organizations: the Football Association, Rugby Football Union, England and Wales Cricket Board, Horserace Regulatory Authority, National Greyhound Racing Club, Motor Sports Association, World Snooker, Darts Regulatory Authority and British Darts Organization. Under the code, the bodies must include provisions in their rules and regulations governing the behavior of their members in relation to betting, and they will be expected to work closely with the police, the National Criminal Intelligence Service and the Gambling Commission if corrupt practices are discovered. Their members will be expected to avoid any conflict of interest. The code also advises that the sports authorities nominate a person or department to assume the responsibility of dealing with betting-related issues.
"Sports betting has changed dramatically in recent years," Sports Minister Richard Caborn said in a prepared statement. "Advances in technology and increasing popularity mean there are now more ways to place a bet than ever before. But we can't let a few unscrupulous cheats drag the good name of sport through the mud. That's why I'm pleased that from football to snooker, sport now recognizes the importance of working with betting operators and the authorities to crack down on betting cheats."
Toto-ly in Debt
Japan's state-backed sports lottery operator, Toto, has found itself nearly £70 million in debt, and one of Japan's leading financial institutions, Resona Bank, is threatening to sue. Resona Bank, which organized the sales and prize payouts of the football lottery, is owed 14.4 billion yen (£69 million) in commission fees and last week it issued Toto with a final demand for the money. The bank has been trying to collect payment from Toto for three years and has even forgiven more than 50 percent of the actual debt (£150 million), which accrued between 2002 and March 2005.
32Red Jerseys
Not long after online poker company Mansion lost a £70 million (US$99 million) sponsorship deal with the Manchester United football club, online casino and poker operator 32Red Plc reached a conditional agreement for a two-year sponsorship deal with the Aston Villa football club. The deal includes a logo on the both the home and away jerseys beginning next season. According to U.K. newspaper the Times, the deal is valued at just under £1 million per year, with Aston Villa receiving additional revenues under its marketing affiliate arrangement with the company.
BetandWin Too
Online gambling company BetandWin in April became the new shirt sponsor for Italian football team AC Milan for an initial term of four seasons, beginning July 1. Additionally, BetandWin's sports betting odds will be streamed live on the displays in the San Siro Stadium, where the team plays.
OPAP: Maybe, Maybe Not
Due to the appointment of new members to the Committee of Professional Athletics, Greek lottery operator OPAP said it will not introduce Greek football league betting to its fixed-odds betting game, Stihima, until the new season in September. According to Reuters, however, OPAP said it may begin offering the betting by the end of May if approval is granted by a government sports committee. "We cannot rule out the possibility of including some Greek (soccer) matches of the current playing season in Stihima," the company said. OPAP said the committee had delayed a ruling after the government appointed the new members, but that approval by the end May was still possible.