Is Sports Betting Rigged?

Ever had one of your ‘lock’ sports bets go the wrong way? Well, it’s the age-old question that crosses every sports fan’s mind at least once, is sports gambling rigged for the sportsbooks to always come out on top?

The answer to this question depends on a lot of factors, including which sport you’re betting on and the platform that you’re using. We’ll get down to the details of exactly how sports betting companies profit from customers and what you can do to minimize the risk with any of them.

Is Sports Betting Legit?

While you might feel that results are rigged, the truth is that it would be nearly impossible for sports betting sites to influence matches that are offered on the platform. There are so many markets all over the world that it would take a highly coordinated operation to influence every single outcome.

Sports are simply unpredictable; a player on the underdog team could have the best performance of their career and cause an upset, or the favorite team could suffer a few key injuries to lose a seemingly easy match.

That being said, cases of match-fixing have arisen in just about every sports market, but the probability of betting on a rigged match is very low if you’re an active bettor.

Are Professional Sports Games Fixed?

There have always been cases of games being fixed over the years. While some cases boil down to stubborn fans or terrible officiating, other investigations have found conclusive evidence of an external party influencing the match’s outcome.

Matches are rarely investigated, because for the most part, athletes have more to gain with a successful career than there is with the risk of fixing matches.

A large portion of sports stars’ income is also generated through sponsorships and brand affiliation, which would be lost if there were any suspicion of point shaving or cheating.

Facts & History: What Sport is Most Rigged?

While any sport can be rigged, there have been cases from specific sports that have been the most impactful to the sporting world. Let’s take a look at some of the sports most likely to have issues with match fixing.

Tennis, soccer, boxing, basketball, baseball, and football have all seen their share of point shaving and match fixing scandals over the years.

Black Sox Scandal

Even though it happened over a hundred years ago, the Black Sox Scandal persists as a stain on the reputation of Major League Baseball. Eight players from the Chicago White Sox were suspected of losing the 1919 World Series on purpose to the Cincinnati Reds.

The main beneficiary of the match would have been the gambling kingpin, Arnold Rothstein, who had been an active crime boss known for fixing matches. While the public trial acquitted the accused, the acting judge still banned all eight players from ever participating in a baseball match again.

Football

There have been many cases of bribery in football history. An attempt at rigging an NFL game in 1946 resulted in the convictions of Alvin J. Paris, Harvey Stemmer, and David Karkower.

College football has had multiple instances of players who have admitted to accepting money to influence matches.

Boxing

The boxing world is riddled with match-fixing scandals dating back to 1890. There have been many cases of fighters admitting to accepting money or judges who have been dismissed after submitting fight card results. Many of the cases go uninvestigated, but the most recent notable case was in the 2012 Summer Olympics, where a referee was expelled after awarding a fighter the win even though the opposition had knocked them down five times in one round.

Many match-fixing cases are handled internally, and this is why there is not much coverage of the topic. It ruins the reputation of the sport.

How Sports Betting Sites Safeguard Against Match Fixing

When a match is fixed, the biggest loser would most likely be the sportsbook platforms themselves. 

The odds that are available have been calculated based on team form and player data; to manipulate the result would dismiss this information entirely, and payouts would have to be made to the customers despite the odds.

To protect fans from the dangers of match-fixing, the responsibility usually falls on sports organizations and gambling regulators.

Private investigations

Whenever there is enough suspicion regarding a specific player, team, or official, the sports organization will conduct a private investigation to determine if there has been foul play. These organizations are deeply involved in each sports market and consist of reputable members who usually have the best interest of the sport at heart.

These investigations can result in legal convictions made against the guilty parties as we’ve seen in many cases.

With the whole world watching and the power of social media, it’s almost impossible for a clear match-fixing case to slip through unnoticed. There have been a number of incidents identified by an audience member that gained traction on social media and forced an investigation.

Extensive league coverage

Another factor sportsbooks use to safeguard bettors from match-fixing is by accepting bets from a wide variety of leagues.

Most of the cases of rigged matches are from the early 1900s, when sports betting was localized to the area where the match was taking place; all sports fans had to bet on one specific match, making it easy for an individual or company to influence the outcome.

To date, there hasn’t been a case of payouts being withdrawn even if an investigation proves that the match was illegitimate.

Are Sharps Proof That Sports Betting Is Legit?

A sharp or professional sports bettor is a testament to the legitimacy of sports betting.

There will always be rumors about individuals or companies being involved in fixing matches, but by following a sharp, you’ll come to see that successful bettors use stats and key pieces of information to bet profitably.

A well-researched prediction will always have a greater chance of success, but there is always the possibility of unpredictable outcomes.

How Safe is Sports Betting?

We’d say that the chance of being impacted by rigged matches while you’re betting on sports is slim to none, unless you are betting on obscure international events in less regulated markets.

Don’t let a few historical cases scare you off; most players and teams want to win.

We highly recommend that you sign up with reputable online sportsbook to avoid any issues while you are betting on matches.

Licensed sportsbooks have to adhere to the regulations set by each state’s gambling commission, and these protect customers.