Media outlets report that billions of euros are wagered worldwide on sports betting every day. For years, there have therefore been many headlines that fraud is becoming a bigger and bigger problem. This all radiates out to the professional sport, which suffers from manipulations - either concretely by incidents or over the possibility that cheating could be. There are various attempts by individual federations and even by many betting operators to curb criminal activity. It goes without saying that this is anything but easy. When money is involved, limits are hard to set.
Be attentive
The impact of sports betting fraud, of course, does not only take place on the Internet. Real bookmakers, whether legal or illegal, also accept money and pay out winnings. It is conceivable that some things are not above board here either. If you bet with a definitely reputable provider, such as betting.net, you can be sure that everything is done against fraud. The customers are verified. They must prove that they have registered for sports betting with correct data. This is done via current documents and via a scanned ID card. Those who have used false data will not get their winnings. A fraudster rarely gives his real name, because that would mean that everything can be traced.
Sports betting fraud
We live in a time when a lot of money can be bet on various sports without any problems worldwide. It is impossible to comprehend how many betting providers there are on the Internet. They all want to generate as much revenue as possible, so they have to present a lot of options for a bet. It's not simply about the winner in a soccer match or horse race, for example. Thousands of possibilities exist every single day and, to be precise, every minute. When a scam is attempted in a sport, it can be relatively easy to implement without attracting attention. In a lower-class soccer game in some country in Asia, a player is given money if he misses the goal or makes a mistake so that the opponent scores a goal. And on this next goal is bet respectively on the defeat of a special team. How can you tell that said player didn't just have a bad day?
Soccer was mentioned as an example because it is the most popular sport. Comparable things can be imagined for almost any sport. The bookmakers give an odds, a bettor stakes money. The more he bets, the more he will win. From certain sums and if a result is improbable and nevertheless high sums of money were set, official places become attentive over special systems. But then they have to prove the fraud.
Problems with gambling fraud in Asia
When problems with gambling are reported, it is often said that the fraudsters are based in Asia. Official surveys prove this. It is a continent where a lot of money is turned over. And the more money in circulation, the higher the risk of fraud. There is talk of a mafia. It is not limited to specific sports, but it is not limited to this continent. There are now repercussions all over the world. However, one should not believe that basically everything in terms of sports betting or even casinos is designed for fraud. Those that cheat belong to groups, but individual small bettors are not part of the mafia. They're being for the personal thrill, to put it this way.
The European betting mafia
A betting mafia has long since conquered Europe. There have been repeated cases of fraud in recent years. Again, different sports have been affected, even soccer. It is not possible to pin the problem on specific nations, either in terms of the perpetrators or the fraudulent athletes. Whether people from the Balkan states are responsible or from Belgium only plays a secondary role. These are criminal people who want to use their contacts in sports to influence sporting events. They are making sure that a specific incident occurs. The word incident can refer to a goal or to a specific result. There are countless possibilities. Money is bet and in the end it is won. And the profit is considerable.
Sports affected and how the problem is dealt with
Soccer is particularly in focus in the area of sports betting. Soccer is played all over the world and millions of times, which increases the chances of minor and major frauds. All it takes is for a player to agree to make a mistake for a certain amount of money, for example. And already this mistake can be made. However, this can basically be applied to any sport. Someone who doesn't earn a lot of money is certainly more susceptible than someone who has millions in their bank account. Of course, there are official bodies that deal with this issue. When bookmakers notice that a lot of money is being bet on a specific sporting event against all tendencies, they take notice. A kind of radar has been created, bookmakers cooperate with each other. It is possible that the relevant markets will be closed. Or the person who bets especially much money does not get his money and has to verify himself. The groups that cheat rarely work with their own names. Or they have straw men. And those who cannot prove that a lot of money could be wagered may not receive the payout. That doesn't change the actual cheating, because it impacts the entire sport.
Recognizing reputable bookmakers
How can you recognize a reputable bookmaker? Reputation is important, as is tradition. However, even a comparatively young bookmaker can operate reputably. It is advisable to first look at the license. If this comes from a European country such as Malta, the offer is subject to European legislation. If one is affiliated with a system that is committed to fighting gambling addiction, gambling fraud and so on, that is of course also a good sign.
In principle, there is nothing against sports betting or gambling in general. They are legal. You just have to know that not every bet automatically leads to a profit. In addition, one must be aware that a normal bettor cannot influence anything. Simply put, favorites do not always win and occasionally the underdogs are successful, no matter what sport. There is no question that the reputation of sports betting is not the best. This is related to fraud and possible manipulation. Despite the billions that are turned over, these are isolated cases. And it is not the small bettors who are affected, but the bookmakers. They have to pay out money that would not have been paid out under normal circumstances. On the other hand, of course, they do not exactly make little turnover. Therefore, we can actually talk about billions. Of course, you have to look that the bet is made with a reputable bookmaker. That is easy to find as previously indicated. If you bet by chance on a sporting event that has been manipulated, you have no disadvantage as a small bettor. You do not have to return the money. Nobody can manipulate himself. In order for it to be worthwhile for the fraudsters, really high sums must be wagered. Which at the same time means that the scammers risk a lot. What is meant here is not only a loss of money, but in the worst case a prison sentence.
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