Cricket Betting in Turmoil

Cricket Betting in Turmoil Cricket betting is in turmoil after the News of the World revealed an alleged cricket betting scam which is said to have involved certain members of the Pakistan team bowling ‘no balls’ to order. Like any other reputable news service, we must point out that these allegations are just that – allegations – unless and until a court of law proves otherwise, but the revelation has sent shockwaves through the cricket betting world, and the repercussions will be felt in the sports betting industry as a whole.

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This isn’t the first time that allegations of corruption have blighted the sport of cricket, and it probably won’t be the last. That puts sports betting enthusiasts in the undesirable position where they can no longer assume that every individual competitor is as honest and above board as we would all like. This is a very sad situation, but it would be futile for sports bettors to bury their head in the sand and pretend that potential corruption isn’t a problem.

So what is the solution for those of us who bet on sports – stop betting until corruption is no longer an issue? That might sound like a quick fix but, as we said a moment ago, there will always be a risk of corruption, so waiting for such idyllic circumstances to come along would be tantamount to retiring from betting entirely. We therefore suggest that sports bettors reduce the risk of becoming a victim of corruption by adjusting their approach, as follows:

1 – Focus on Team Sports
Whilst there will always be a few individuals who are open to bribery, it is fortunately extremely rare (if not unheard of) for an entire team to throw a game or match deliberately. It therefore makes sense for sports betting fans to focus on team sports rather than on individuals who might have been paid to do something underhand. Of course, we aren’t saying that you should avoid all individual competitors for betting purposes, but it would make sense to reduce your stakes on those considering the greater level of risk involved.

2 – Focus on Match Results
Most allegations of corruption concern certain aspects of an event rather than the event as a whole, for the simple reason that it is easier for an individual to throw one aspect than orchestrate the outright result. For example, it is easier for a cricketer to bowl a no-ball than to ensure that his team loses the entire match. Naturally, this makes so-called ‘spot betting’ opportunities a lot riskier for the sports betting fan than betting on overall match results. Our second piece of advice, therefore, is to focus on match results wherever possible.

3 – Watch Your Investment
Even if you adhere to the two suggestions given previously, there is still no guarantee that you won’t fall foul of corruption, so our third suggestion is that you are careful to watch your investment, and avoid putting too much of your available bankroll at risk on any single event. That way, if you do happen to come unstuck because of an unscrupulous competitor, at least you won’t lose your entire betting bank as a result.

It is never nice to report suspected corruption in betting, but if it reminds sports betting fans to be aware of the possible risks and to tread more carefully in future then perhaps that is a silver lining that we can all benefit from. Bet sensibly and good luck!

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