Lindahl comes clean
Allegations of corruption in sports and sports gambling have Australian authorities taking a closer look at the integrity of both industries as well as the big players and offshore operators.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the federal government’s National Integrity of Sports Unit says the massive growth of sports wagering since 2010 has caused more corruption and possible match fixing. A joint investigation by the BBC and Buzzfeed alleges that authorities failed to follow up “repeated warnings” about 16 elite tennis players, eight of whom were schedule to play in the 2016 Australian Open championship, which began last month.
On January 24, an offshore wagering company stopped accepting wagers due to an $80,000 drop on a first-round mixed-doubles match at the tournament that would “usually attract only a few hundred dollars,” the Herald reported. And the next day, former pro tennis player Nick Lindahl pleaded guilty to fixing a match at the Toowoomba Futures Six tournament in 2013.
Now the feds have launched an inquiry into offshore online betting operations, to be spearheaded by former New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell. Chief among its aims is to determine if Australian betting companies should be able to take in-play bets online, which is presently prohibited; wagering on sporting events as they happen is only permitted at TABs or by telephone, yet offshore houses can take the bets. Regulators, sporting groups, and the Australian Sports Commission say tighter regulations could safely open the door to in-play bets inside the country.
Meanwhile, the NSW Trainers’ Association is concerned about jockeys and trainers “having to deal with accusations brought about by ‘live in-the-run betting.’”
“I think it just adds another element we don’t need and just poses another question over the heads of participants that is not needed,” outgoing NSW Trainers’ Association CEO Steve McMahon told the Herald. “There is already enough pressure on trainers and jockeys to perform as it is. When betting on the run becomes more and more prevalent, it’s just another aspect of integrity you have to worry about.”
Cricket authorities are also looking at match-fixing and spot-fixing allegations.
Meanwhile, the Australian Media and Communications Authority has asked national law enforcement to review the legality of online in-play betting on sports, with some bookmakers exploiting what they say are loopholes in the law to allow wagering through smartphones. “The more live betting there is on sport means the punting dollar will only go so far,” McMahon said. “It’s a lot easier to be live betting on a 90-minute soccer game than it is on a 90-second horse race.”
