Is there criminality in sports betting? Given that there is criminality in every aspect of life that involves money - most certainly yes.

Is sport routinely and systemically rigged? Unlikely.

It's obviously significantly harder to rig a sport like football or rugby because of the team nature of the game. You'd have to bribe most of the team. Even if you could get to the referee it's still difficult to definitely rig a game. Plus of course you've got footballers (and some Union players) who are paid so much it's not worth the risk of taking a bribe.

Where I think it's more likely is in sports like tennis, cricket, athletics and maybe golf. Very popular, worldwide sports that attract large amounts of betting money and you've got much more scope for affecting a result (or a certain situation as with spot betting). I get the feeling we've only just scratched the surface in discovering corruption with betting or drug taking in these sports.

you're an imbecilic dictator, singlehandedly killed The Sin Bin, there's little wonder it's only you that posts regularly.

To rig an entire competition you wouldn't use players. It's simply not feasible.

However, it's ENTIRELY feasible to find a dozen officials who will do as they are told and keep their mouths shut.

Like I said - it's BAD BUSINESS not to rig a competition if you can. The potential profits are mind-boggling.

It's [itechnically[/i feasible, but highly unlikely; in much the same way that a decade spanning, worldwide, multi-national and multi-agency conspiracy to affect all world events is technically feasible, but highly unlikely. People talk - and the more of them involved in any kind of scam, the less likely it remains a secret. Not to mention the algorithms, analysis and technical wizardry employed by large bookmakers, which can spot unusual patterns or behaviour well before any human has to.

There will be incidents of malfeasance - but not on the scale you're alluding to and certainly not in a way that rigs the outcome of a league or competition.

That said - I did see Michael Carter give the new ref a Twix and a bottle of Lucozade before we played Warrington at the weekend...

This is based on WHAT?

Data? Evidence? Or are you just guessing?

Sports fixing will be the focus of Marwan's press conference tomorrow so I'm lead to believe. Referee's brown envelopes, heads need to roll if the evidence is proven. Apparently he has all the evidence. It'll blow the sport to its knees.

Exactly the same basis upon which you put forward the hypothesis; you think it's ENTIRELY feasible, but you have no evidence to say it's actually happening. I posit that it's [itechnically[/i feasible but highly unlikely, without any evidence to say it's not happening.

Does that follow the rules that you've made up in your head, or should I provide some kind of peer reviewed, youtube evidenced, copy/pasted material to back up my opinion?

Quite an indepth knowledge of all that goes on on this board considering you only joined six weeks ago?
Mods... Just out of curiosity, if you are handed a ban are you allowed to just re register under a different username?

Not sure about rigging and the like, but i swear referees on Sky tv games are told to make things.....'interesting'

I'm completely mystified as to why you are attempting to disprove an argument I haven't made. On the other hand you do agree that it is feasible - which IS what I said.



Judging from the above - I wouldn't bother.

It's worth looking at some of the alarming developments in NFL recently. I mean just some of the PROVEN misdemeanors attributed to the New England Patriots (deflating the match ball, bugging the opposition changing rooms etc. etc.) should be enough to raise anyone's concerns.

Of course, rigging an entire competition is a different issue. Although there's a legitimate question whether it would be illegal for the NFL to fix its own games. I thought this question was a no-brainer (just as I thought it was a no-brainer that Tom Brady would know deflating the match ball is illegal) - but I was surprised to discover that a loophole exists.

The notion that it's highly unlikely that a multi-billion-dollar business would eschew even greater profits simply because it would be illegal or ... wait for it ... "conspiratorial" is so utterly ludicrous I feel I shouldn't even be typing this.

If I hired a dozen officials and paid them an attractive salary in exchange for making key calls at selected moments how would you KNOW I'm fixing my competition?

And before someone interjects with the usual [i"But ... someone would talk!"[/i let me point out that after I hired the officials I told them if they ever breathed so much as a word I'd shoot their wives in front of their children ... and then shoot their children.

Jesus H Christ...

Ok - you win - I didn't factor in the shooting of women and children by international sporting bodies; that being the case, all sport is indeed fixed and your incredible investigative skills have uncovered yet another facet of modern life that has escaped the notice of those of us who don't have the INTELLIGENCE or WIT to actually LOOK at the FACTS before us.

I don't know what we'd do without you.