The OPP has opened an investigation into the sports betting scandal that prompted the NBA to permanently ban former Toronto Raptor, Jontay Porter, back in April.Pretty much everyone in the sports betting industry has a favourite story about match-fixing. Maybe it’s the one about the former proplayer who had signed over one of his $250,000 paycheques to a bookie to cover part of his debts.
Well, sure, I said, but isn’t it a concern that we have no idea how many incidents aren’t being caught? Still, for the moment, tech is coming in handy. During the Thursday panel, Sebastian Jedrzejewski, director of regulatory affairs for the integrity monitoring firm IC360, described one of his company’s products, a software product dubbed ProhiBet, which enables leagues and sportsbooks to share lists of individuals who shouldn’t be placing certain kinds of bets, such as coaches and players.
And tech will take us only so far. Legislation and global co-operation, while a lot less sexy, could be an important part of the solution. At the moment, match-fixing itself isn’t a crime in Canada . The Canadian Gaming Association, which represents most of the industry, would like the Criminal Code changed to make that illegal.