Andy Murray Claims More Tennis Matches Are Fixed
British tennis ace Andy Murray is the latest tennis star to claim that they know of matches being fixed at some ATP tournaments, and although he says it is difficult to prove, he claims that “all” players are aware of the trend. While one claim in the midst proves nothing, Tim Henman recently made a similar claim prior to his recent retirement. So what really is happening?
While there have been rumours about potential match fixing for some time, it was the Nikolay Davydenko’s match earlier this year which really blew the lid off the situation. That game is still being investigated by the tennis authorities and while no charges have been laid as yet, it seems only a matter of time. The authorities have expressed a great interest in betting patterns on the likes of Betfair which seem to be the betting vehicle of choice for those looking to “fix” matches. But why use the betting exchanges?
The betting exchanges offer gamblers a unique opportunity to bet on losers as well as winners in each and every tournament they cover. This appears to have been the catalyst for the recent rise in rumoured match fixing allegations, although the betting exchanges recent agreement to monitor and report suspicious betting patterns has further turned up the heat on the so called “fixers”.
So what next?
As well as these rumours of match fixing in tennis, there is a high profile Horse Race fixing court case currently ongoing at the Old Bailey (the UK’s top court). While it has taken over two years to bring these Horse Race fixing claims to court, it is a move in the right direction amid claims that the authorities finally have a strong case.
There are hopes that at least one successful high profile prosecution may well quell the spate of matching fixing in all sports, but the money involved is massive and will always be a temptation for some.