While the sports world may enjoy wagering on events, there is the constant fear that there are some who will take advantage of what gambling can bring to sports. It has been proven over and over again that gamblers will find a way to protect their ‘investments.’ This means infiltrating the sports to make sure the desired outcome is achieved. There have been many instances where players, coaches, managers and officials have thrown or fixed games and matches with the promise of making quick money. The United States saw the Chicago Black Sox scandal on 1918, Pete Rose banned from Major League Baseball, and a NBA referee kicked out of the sport all for gambling. It can be easy to do.
The cricket world was rocked late last month after a match fixing scandal broke. Cricket is a very popular sport in the United Kingdom and many of its former colonies. For gambling to show its dirty side in the sport came as a shock. A sting was set into motion by a British tabloid newspaper. A thirty-five year old man was caught and release on bail without charge, but this didn’t stop the dominos from falling. Three cell phones from players on the Pakistani team were confiscated. There reports on allegations of “three no-balls” being thrown in the scandal.
Now there are three Pakistani team members who could face a life ban from the sport if they are convicted on the gambling and match fixing charges. The sports governing body has charged the three players with “various offenses under Article 2 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player support Personnel.” The three players have withdrawn from this weeks matches with England. However, under the guidelines they would not be able to play anyway due to the impending investigation. The Chief Executive of the ICC stated that the body would be fair but is not going to tolerate any form of cheating.
