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Top 5 Sports Betting Scandals in History: Part 2

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Xenia Luch

05 December 2023

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If you thought the 1st list of sports betting scandals was shocking, wait until you read this one. Here are 5 more stories of cheating in the world of betting.

Spot-Fixing Trio

It was supposed to be a historic moment for Pakistan cricket, but it turned out to be a shameful one. In 2010, a British tabloid exposed a spot-fixing scandal involving 3 Pakistani cricketers: Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Amir. The trio conspired with a bookie (Mazhar Majeed) to deliver no-balls at certain times during a Test match against England at Lord’s. They were caught on camera accepting money from the bookie and executing the no-balls as planned.

Later, the players were banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for 5 years and also served jail time in England for corruption and conspiracy.

Spot-Fixing Trio - scandal
Pakistan cricketers: Mohammad Amir, captain Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif at the Lord’s Test

Pete Rose Affair

He was a legend, but he was also a liar. Pete Rose, the all-time leader in hits with 4,256, had a secret addiction that tarnished his legacy: he was a compulsive gambler. He wagered on baseball games, even those of his own team, the Cincinnati Reds, when he was their skipper. He lied about it for years, but finally came clean in 2004 that he did gamble on baseball, though he swore he never bet against the Reds.

Pete Rose was banned for life from baseball by commissioner Bart Giamatti in 1989 and lost his chance to enter the Hall of Fame. Despite his repeated appeals and apologies, Rose has not been forgiven by MLB. Rose remains one of the most divisive figures in baseball history to this day…

Pete Rose
Pete Rose

BuzzFeed News / BBC investigation

In 2016, a joint investigation by BuzzFeed News and BBC revealed that tennis had a serious problem with match-fixing and betting corruption. They reported that in the past 10 years, 16 players who had been in the top 50 had been repeatedly suspected by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), an anti-corruption body set up by the sport’s authorities, for playing dubious matches. They also claimed that some players had been bribed by gamblers to lose matches or sets on purpose, and that some officials had tipped off betting rings.

One of the most infamous cases involved former World No. 3 Nikolay Davydenko and Martin Vassallo Arguello, who peaked at 47 in the rankings (both players denied any involvement and were cleared).

Nikolay Davydenko and Martin Vassallo Arguello
Nikolay Davydenko and Martin Vassallo Arguello

DraftKings $350K Scandal

What if you could win $350,000 with just a $25 bet on a daily fantasy sports (DFS) game? That’s what Ethan Haskell, a DraftKings employee, did in 2015. But his huge win on FanDuel, a rival site, was not without controversy. He was accused of using insider information that he had access to as part of his job. This information showed the ownership percentage of each athlete in the DFS contests, which could help him create optimal lineups.

The scandal sparked a debate about the legality and ethics of DFS, as well as whether it was a game of skill or luck. However, it later turned out that Haskell could not have used the ‘insider information’ because he did not receive it until 40 minutes after the FanDuel lineup was locked.

Ethan Haskell - DraftKings employee
Ethan Haskell

Operation Slapshot

You might think that betting is a harmless hobby, but not when you are involved in an illegal gambling ring that includes NHL players, coaches, and staff. That’s what happened in 2006, when the FBI busted Operation Slapshot, a massive gambling operation run by Rick Tocchet, a former NHL star who was then an assistant coach for the Phoenix Coyotes. Tocchet and his associates took bets on various sports events, including NHL games, from hundreds of clients, including Wayne Gretzky’s wife Janet Jones.

In 2007, Tocchet pleaded guilty to conspiracy and promoting gambling and was sentenced to 2 years probation.

Rick Tocchet - NHL
Rick Tocchet