FAI move to stamp out dodgy betting patterns
FAI move to stamp out dodgy betting patterns
By Daniel McDonnell
Wednesday October 31 2007
The race to replace Steve Staunton will have one guaranteed winner and that's not whoever the new gaffer may be. Instead, it's the bookmakers who will be rolling in the cash, as numerous false trails result in the placing of substantial bets on the wrong candidates.
Whether you like it or not, gambling and football are now intrinsically linked.
They always have been, in many respects, but are now more so than ever, in this era of advanced communications. In this country, recognition of that fact was formalised earlier this month, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the FAI and leading exchange firm Betfair.
Remarkably, it is the first MoU signed with a regulatory body outside of horse racing, with the GAA previously refusing a request from Betfair to sign a similar deal.
What the new arrangement provides is a two-way flow of information, allowing the FAI to request from Betfair information on betting activity and, in return, allows Betfair to inform the FAI of information which it believes represents a threat to the integrity of the sport.
That will mean being able to provide names and addresses of those who placed bets on a fixture which prompts suspicion within football circles.
It is the 29th MoU that Betfair have signed worldwide, with the English FA another body that they have a non-commercial arrangement with.
The ramifications for the Eircom League are potentially interesting. There's as much hearsay and conjecture going around about stories of punting within the domestic game as there is about Stephen Ireland's private life.
Gambling on football here has taken on an entirely different dimension with the onset of frequently televised games. A quick scan of the internet will lead you to a slightly unusual website where punters from Asia debate the idiosyncrasies of League of Ireland clubs.
Increase
"Irish football is trading very well for us now," says Eoin Ryan of Betfair. "With the live televised games on Setanta sometimes being shown in the UK, then the money being staked on some games has increased significantly."
The facts bear that out. For example, the Setanta Cup clash between St Patrick's Athletic and Drogheda United in May saw €1.3m traded on the outcome. When you consider that some clubs in the league do not even have an annual turnover near that amount then it is a staggering figure.
And that is why there is an increased need to add integrity to the changing climate. There have been no games thus far that have merited any investigation, although earlier this year bookmakers were stung by an avalanche of bets on Shamrock Rovers to beat what was essentially an U-21 Drogheda side in the League Cup.
However, there has been concern expressed at the temptation available to players in the lower rungs of the league in a climate where single betting is an option on every game in the Premier Division and First. Previously, betting on domestic football was restricted to trebles and accumulators, thus removing the possibility of individual clashes being manipulated.
"I would be opposed to single betting being available on every game," says Stephen McGuinness of the PFAI. "Particularly in the First Division where you have some amateur players and other guys on just €50 or €100 a week.
"It puts them in a situation where there is more money to be earned from betting on the outcome of a game," he adds.
"Certainly, we would not encourage any of our members to bet on games where they are involved and we would remove anyone from our union if they were found to be guilty of anything suspicious in that regard."
They haven't had reason to as yet, and hope that will remain the case.
Yet the growing nature of the gambling industry in tandem with the betting culture which exists within football mean that the issue is always likely to be bubbling under the surface.
For the FAI, the signing of an MoU represents progress and closes one potential avenue for ill-behaviour. But it still can't stop an unknown player strolling into his local bookies and putting his money down, or giving it to a friend to do the same. It's the same the world over.
There are numerous anecdotes that point to an inevitable conclusion. Regulation on insider trading within football is welcome.
Gaining complete control, on the other hand, will be absolutely impossible.
- Daniel McDonnell
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...s-1208561.html
Bray v Sligo - Irregular Betting Patterns
Piece in today's Sunday Mirror claiming there is evidence of irregular betting patterns across the country for the recent game between Bray Wanderers and Sligo Rovers. They claim the bookies were taken for €100,000. Paddy Power apparently suspended betting on the game 1 hour before kick off.
The report doesn't seem to imply that any match fixing took place but says it was likely to have been the work of an organised syndacate.
