New Gambling Scandals Surface To Haunt English Soccer Leagues
The possibility of fixed matches in English soccer grew as more data reflecting irregular gambling patterns was revealed. Three more games were added to the suspicious list after examination of wagers on the Asian market showed extremely volatile movement in the lines.
A match between Norwich and Derby was already under investigation, having been exposed for the same unusual gambling patterns in Asia. The transcontinental nature indicates a potentially large conspiracy.
The English Football Association and the Gambling Commission have already launched probes, and now the fraud unit from the city of London is looking at the cases. Two Premier League games are among the matches being reviewed.
Officials have proposed a future partnership between police, soccer management, and online casinos to watch over betting patterns and alert authorities when one side of a line receives inordinate play.
Gordon Taylor, head of the Professional Footballers' Association, said, "We need strong links between the betting firms and the sporting bodies. There’s enough money in sport and gambling to be able to set up a monitoring unit that will be able to monitor this properly."
Online gambling sites have helped immensely when sports leagues have had issues regarding match fixing. Nobody has more interest in an honest game than bookies, as they are the target of fixing. Realizing the valuable input available from Internet casinos and not treating them as enemies is an important step in preventing future gambling scandals.
