Paddy Power 'stung' for €30k for Mons V Longford
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...g-1517344.html
Paddy Power hit for €30k in suspected betting 'sting
By JOHNNY WARD
Sunday Independent; November 02 2008
EXCLUSIVE
Paddy Power Bookmakers was hit by a loss of close to €30,000 when a wholesale gamble was landed in an apparently insignificant eircom League first division match on Friday night.
Monaghan United trounced Longford Town 5-1, costing bookmakers in Ireland and England a considerable sum of money after what are being viewed in the industry as suspicious betting patterns.
United, who prior to the match had scored 27 goals in their 32 league games, were slashed from 6/5 into odds-on by all bookmakers, with Paddy Power eventually forced to suspend betting in the hour before kick-off.
The bookmaker's spokesman, Paddy Power, estimated that the match attracted approximately 20 times the turnover he would normally expect for a low-grade first division game in the eircom League.
"It's a very low-profile game and you tend to take a handful of bets on it but the fact that there was a widespread gamble would certainly raise a few eyebrows.
"When we priced it up, we thought we might lay Longford at 15/8 -- they've been playing quite well -- but in fact it was all Monaghan. And rather than one big bet, it was a spread of bets on Thursday in our north Dublin shops. It just looked like a well-organised sting.
"We literally didn't take one bet on Longford. In that type of game, you'd be amazed if you even took one bet in the north Dublin shops involved and you'd expect a handful across the country.
"The thing that makes it look suspicious was that it was people putting on small bets to stay under the radar. Bets of €500 at 6/5 wouldn't raise many eyebrows."
Successful punters who backed winners Monaghan with Paddy Powers had to wait until yesterday to be paid out, and were informed by the bookmaker that the delay was due to the match being "under investigation due to irregular betting patterns".
Betting exchange giants Betfair, who have in place a memorandum of understanding with the FAI which allows the association to investigate betting movements on matches under its jurisdiction if requested, also reported that there was a higher-than normal level of trading on the match.
Contacted by the Sunday Independent yesterday, a spokesman for the FAI confirmed it would be looking into the matter.
"The FAI takes any such claims very seriously," he said. "We will be contacting the bookmakers concerned to look into whether there is any substance to these claims and will investigate further if appropriate."
.
