bren2k wrote:
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.
