How Do Bookmakers Fight Against Fixed Sports Betting

In the world of betting, one of the biggest issues that have been going on for hundreds of years is fixed sports matches. Since the word fixed can be found in the dictionary with different meanings, it is really important that we are on the same page with what fixed matches are.

Match-fixing is when the outcome of a match in organized sports is in any way manipulated. The reason for such activities where a person or a group of people organizes a fixed match where some of the teams or athletes win/lose purposefully has to do with the gambling benefits that come along.

So, when people talk about the fixed sports, they usually run to the bookies and place bets in their favor and collect the winnings after the match.

Even though bookmakers were involved with match-fixing many years ago, just like in the latest season of Peaky Blinders where they are bribing referees, they are not on the same page nowadays.

Bookies nowadays don’t like fixed matches and usually don’t participate in the process. When it comes to the betting process, every weapon is on their side, and in today’s article, we will go through some of the methods bookmakers use to fight against fixed sports.

Commission

One of the most powerful weapons that bookmakers use to absorb the hit of fixed matches is the commission they take regardless of the outcome of sporting events.

Even though they cannot fight against fixed matches by taking commission out of each bet, they can at least absorb the hit from such events and minimize their profit losses.

Rejecting a Bet

Bookmakers have complex systems where they can easily identify strange behavior when more people bet on a unique outcome of a sporting event. Most bookmakers are connected to a worldwide database that all runs on the same system of identifying strange behavior.

Once one bookmaker identifies many people take chance on the same outcome that looks strange it sounds the alarm and identifies other bookmakers who can freeze the stake on that particular event, and reject all bets that will come afterward.

The system is so clever that it is fully automated and no human input is required. The system will identify strange behavior and temporarily freeze betting on that match.

Lowering the Max Amount on Your Stake for a Specific Match

The system that identifies strange behavior in the betting process can also sound the red flag on particular matches where bookmakers can use other weapons in their arsenal.

Once they identify potential matches that might be fixed, they can lower the max amount on your stake, which means that your potential return will be lower.

Remove Betting Markets

Bookmakers can also remove certain matches from these markets after they’ve received information about potential match-fixing. They have the right to remove any match from the option and this is their most commonly used weapon to fight against match-fixing.

So, once you find out that a match has been fixed, chances are that that match is already removed from the betting markets.

Anti-Fixing Coalition

Almost every professional bookmaker has joined the anti-fixing coalition, where they employ financial experts and risk managers to use sophisticated software that will allow them to instantly know the amount and identity behind each choice. If you bet on a trustworthy bookmaker, like TwinSpires horse racing, you will be safe from any concerns.

The team will then evaluate whether or not a match should be considered suspicious or not. Additionally, once a person or match is found to be fixed, individuals involved in the fixed matching process are banned from every online bookmaker.

So, the anti-fixing coalition has a “black list” of names that includes IDs, financial details, and names of people that were involved in match-fixing. If you enter this list, you’d find it impossible to bet on most online bookmakers.

With that said, it is safe to say that bookmakers have a wide range of weapons that they can use to fight against match-fixing. Throughout the years, thanks to the improved systems and latest technology, fixed sports matches are very rare, especially in big leagues where the teams are under the radar of different organizations.