Spot Fixing?

[meninblue]

'I am innocent' - Sreesanth

Reference: http://www.espncricinfo.com/indian-prem ... 37019.html

In his first public statement since his arrest last week, Sreesanth has denied any wrongdoing. Sreesanth and his two Rajasthan Royals team-mates, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, who were arrested on Thursday for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing, were remanded on Tuesday by a Delhi court to a further five days in police custody.

"I am innocent and have done no wrong,"

"I have never indulged in any spot-fixing."

[DeltaAlpha]

It's common for people to make statements like that before a trial at which they intend to plead 'not guilty', adi. It's almost as common for them then to change their plea to 'guilty' when they see that the trial is going against them in court. I wouldn't attach much significance to it.

[meninblue]

It's common for people to make statements like that before a trial at which they intend to plead 'not guilty', adi. It's almost as common for them then to change their plea to 'guilty' when they see that the trial is going against them in court. I wouldn't attach much significance to it.

Delta, I stopped taking Sreesanth seriously years back. He is the drama king in Indian cricket and most of his popularity is due to his antics for all wrong reasons.

I won't be surprised if he makes his lawyer look like a fool while defending his case, by speaking something wrong when the opponent lawyer asks him a question.
He will have to by heart what he has to speak in court, at least 1000 times.

[meninblue]

Threats from gangsters was reported by media to force cricketers in fixing.

I remember Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar approached police when they got threats from gangsters/terrorists as well. They got police protection. Why can't the other young cricketers report it.

[DeltaAlpha]

I won't be surprised if he makes his lawyer look like a fool while defending his case, by speaking something wrong when the opponent lawyer asks him a question.
He will have to by heart what he has to speak in court, at least 1000 times.

[meninblue]

ICC pull umpire Rauf from Champions Trophy
Reference:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-champio ... 37367.html


Betting case: Mumbai Police summons CSK CEO to appear for questioning before Monday
Reference:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Specials/ ... 64676.aspx

Mumbai Police crime branch on Thursday afternoon issued summons to Chennai Super Kings ‘principal’ Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of team owner and BCCI chief N Srinivasan, to appear for questioning in the spot-fixing scandal.

[DeltaAlpha]

I read somewhere recently, maybe in one of your links, adi, that cricket was the most fixed sport in the world. If true, I wonder why that is. Easiest to fix? Players easiest to influence? Governing bodies most inept or least vigilant?

[meninblue]

Delta, i think football is the sport where fixing happens more. Iirrc, there was some article (probably in 2013) that hundreds of football matches were fixed. I did not bookmark that though.

On googling i found this link.
Reference:
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/eu ... 2dv0x.html
European police warned that the integrity of football was at stake, as they revealed they had smashed a criminal network fixing hundreds of matches, including in the Champions League and World Cup qualifiers.

Maybe fixing is easy in sports because generally young boys/aspirants are more and spots in international teams are just few. They might be told that we will help you get in higher level teams but you have to do us favor later. Perhaps easy to lure them with more easy money, call girls, promise of arranging fixes with opponent teams which will help them score more goals/runs/wickets which will boost their statistics and get double contracts in future.

I mean suppose in domestic cricket, fixers will lure players of other team telling to get out against a certain bowler and end up as highest wicket taker in domestic season. For someone who has sport as career and willing to compromise accepts this favor from fixers but when he makes in international team he has to return back the favors to fixers. This could well be happening. Fixing has been reported in domestic matches too. So career prospects in a lucrative sport could be a reason why it is easy to fix most aspirants.With bookies/fixers you never know how sophisticated they can get in ensuring the young fixers are forced to return favors when they reach higher levels, irrespective of fact that a fixing scandal has been exposed the last night.

It was reported that there are about 70,000 bookmakers in India, and although it is illegal , they very much work in organized way. There are many groups who work separately, but the hierarchy leads to one gang who sits in Asian country. Even if 1% of this bookies are given task of luring cricketers into fixing for better prospects or immediate benefits, the tournament result is going to be very skewed. It is seen that even umpires are fixed now. Maybe they will fix third umpires as well, we cannot rule it out. I won't be shocked if a clear cut dismissal in 4 replays is given otherwise.

[DeltaAlpha]

On the 'most fixed sport', I think there was a reference to the 'size' of the sport, but either it didn't say how that was measured, or I've forgotten. Maybe that pushes cricket above football. I've tried to find the article again but haven't succeeded.

The rest of what you say makes an interesting read and, unfortunately, is probably spot on. How one stops it is difficult; manipulators and criminals always seem to be one step ahead, with the governors or law-makers playing catch-up.

[meninblue]

Delta, he more the turnover in betting , the more these bookies will try to get the results that will earn them profits. So IMO fixing will be directly proportional to the amount of money placed on bets. They will have to be a step ahead by new ways to fix players, new signals which cannot be proved in court etc. They won't allow most of the results to go such that it causes them loss. I doubt if there is any bookmaker who has gone in loss. At the end of a financial year probably most of them stay in profits. There is only one way to ensure profit every year.

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Team boss lost a crore on IPL bets this year: Vindu Dara Singh
Reference:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 234934.cms


Drunk Sreesanth brawled with coach
Reference:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spor ... 236311.cms
A drunk Sreesanth, Delhi Police said on Thursday, got into a brawl with Rajasthan Royals chief coach Paddy Upton. This was why he was thrown out of the squad on May 12 after a match in Jaipur. TOI had reported the temperamental fast bowler's sacking. The police claimed that the pacer had been physically violent with a support staff, but stopped short of identifying the person, only referring to him as an assistant coach.

[DeltaAlpha]

I'd like to ask you a question, adi, but please don't feel obliged to answer.

You obviously feel very strongly about this subject. Is it because it's illegal activity, because it's corrupt activity or because you disapprove of betting in any shape or form? As I understand it, betting on horse racing is legal in India, so legally placing bets would be open to you if you wished to do it.

Just wondering...

[meninblue]

I'd like to ask you a question, adi, but please don't feel obliged to answer.

You obviously feel very strongly about this subject. Is it because it's illegal activity, or because you disapprove of betting in any shape or form? As I understand it, betting on horse racing is legal in India, so legally placing bets would be open to you if you wished to do it.

Just wondering...

Yes, betting on horse racing is legal in India.

I am not disapproving it because it is illegal activity. Even if it gets legal in India, i would personally not like that.

Firstly, i am not convinced with legalized betting as solution to fixing. I read that fixing happened in test match in England and County championship (probably 2012?), and when we consider the context that betting is legal there, it shows it cannot stop fixing. To this i have read counter debates on internet that one can only reduce crimes rather than getting rid off those totally, by taking some measures. It is true , but unlike other crimes, is fixing a crime that affects Indian public ? No , it is actually doing good to Indian public by keeping it illegal. Various aspects have to be considered when we discuss cricket betting in Indian environment.

Monopolistic business activity controlled by one of the top 5 most wanted terrorist by India and U.S.A. Imagine Indian government gets taxes, which nowadays companies are good at finding ways to default /avoid in tunes of millions. E.g Vodafone case. They will find some loophole in law to evade tax. Let us assume that betting companies will give 100% tax that they are liable to pay. But what happens to 100% profit. Are we considering whose hands this 100% profit is going and how they have been using to cause the worst of crimes to innocent people across the world. No, most are happy that the Indian government will get tax. Making it legal might make things easy or maybe difficult for the terrorists/gangsters to run this business. However, they will continue doing it illegally if they come to conclusion that legalized betting will make things difficult for them, which is the view of those who want betting to be legal. What will Indian government do. Helpless like we have been until now even when the law says cricket betting is illegal in India. If government are confident, that they cannot escape then prove it first that you can actually punish. What happened to Azhar. Clean chit from court. The Indian public still has a totally opposite view about him than what the court has. Lawyers do make mistake like other professionals. It can be due to loopholes in law, purposeful creation or destruction of evidence by either parties,their own mistakes like other professionals do, inability of other supporting systems at times in some cases.

I fail to see how the betting helps the general public, apart from the bookies. Either legal or illegal it is a threat to the society. People think they can win money and earn profits. IMO the bookmakers are the ones who end up with profit at end of financial year. Those who bet even up the wins or loses. In most cases public actually gets poor and they even cause a lot of indirect damage to their family. People will earn hardly anything at the end of the day. I will take this further. We have fantasy league on forums and other websites. How many people actually win it by percentile in number of fantasy leagues they participate. They cannot even predict 5 players or 11 players performance. How can they win money in betting. If more people start winning bets, the bookies will fix player and convert a sure shot win into loss the next day or in future to cover up their loss. I mean it is not what will make people rich. Most will lose money and then it creates other problems for themselves as well as the families. The impact on society of making an activity legal has to be considered. I would like to know if more than 50% who bet legally in UK have been benefited in their life by betting money on cricket.

Recently there was a case cracked by Mumbai police. Here is it:
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/mumbai-13yea ... 3-237.html
Innocent boy has lost life. This is not one off incident. It would not be wrong to assume that those who do not earn, take money from friends, parents etc under some pretext but using that money for betting. Who knows if those who bet in countries where cricket betting is legal are using their credit cards for betting rather than their savings, and go into further loss.

Things should not be made legal just because elite section of India can afford to lose money. It does not impacts their families and society if they lose a million. But a loss of even a lac rupees makes difference to most Indian families. The majority of society, the positive attributes of Indian culture are a threat due to this. Keep the status of betting as it is. Solve the issues of corruption, criminal activity, makes systems strong,solve the current fixing scandal first. Then maybe there is a case to think again.

[DeltaAlpha]

Thanks for that, adi. I've read through it a couple of times, but need to think some more. It's obviously not as simple as the possibilities I put in my question, but that's what comes of having been a physicist - you try to simplify everything.

I'll read it a few more times during the day, but I do get the impression that you're not a betting man.

One thing is clear, though, and I agree with you here - it's the bookies who make the money, not those who bet. At the moment, we're being bombarded with TV adverts for bookies. In these times of austerity, they are trying to cash in on giving the impression that those who bet will make money, but the reality is that it's the bookies who will.

[SaintPowelly]

One thing is clear, though, and I agree with you here - it's the bookies who make the money, not those who bet. At the moment, we're being bombarded with TV adverts for bookies. In these times of austerity, they are trying to cash in on giving the impression that those who bet will make money, but the reality is that it's the bookies who will.

Thats because of human greed, if you walk into a betting shop knowing what you want to do, do it and leave, its easy(ish) to make money.

[meninblue]

Thanks for that, adi. I've read through it a couple of times, but need to think some more. It's obviously not as simple as the possibilities I put in my question, but that's what comes of having been a physicist - you try to simplify everything.

I'll read it a few more times during the day, but I do get the impression that you're not a betting man.

One thing is clear, though, and I agree with you here - it's the bookies who make the money, not those who bet. At the moment, we're being bombarded with TV adverts for bookies. In these times of austerity, they are trying to cash in on giving the impression that those who bet will make money, but the reality is that it's the bookies who will.

Yes, I am not a betting man. My investments to let money ,increase multiple times safely, reliably and with better benefits are different.

But if those who watch the adverts believe them, then so be it. All i can say is , it's there money.