One of the worst things that you can see in the betting industry is sportsbooks suspending their bets over a match fix. There is never a positive reason for bet suspensions, as it usually relates to something going on within a match, or with a player. Unfortunately, New Jersey sportsbooks had to suspend a large amount of bets recently due to an alleged table tennis match fix.
There was a match fixing alert that went out recently, and as per the instructions of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, all bets on a particular category of table tennis game were shut down. In this blog post, we’ll be exploring this topic in more depth, and looking at why New Jersey had to shut down table tennis bets recently.
What we cover
Why did NJ suspend bets on a Ukrainian table tennis match fix allegations?
As many of you reading this will already know, New Jersey is a thriving hub of gambling activity. There are tons of incredible casinos, gambling companies and industry leaders in this state- which is why it’s so disappointing to see bets being shut down.
As reported by ESPN, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement ordered all New Jersey-based sportsbooks to shut down bets on any Ukraine-based table tennis match, or any table tennis matches with 6 players. This arrived after a warning from the Sports Wagering Integrity Monitoring Association, who were aware that a match fix could be taking place.
It’s important to note that this alleged table tennis match fix was not taking place in New Jersey itself- yet due to the severity and nature of the warning, all bets have been suspended regardless. There are some players that are specifically noted in the warning, which include;
- Liliia Zaitseva
- Ivan Gaysin
- Karen Dzhanibekyan
- Eduard Panichev
- Anastasia Efimova
- Gleb Zotov
These players were specifically named by the warning post, and this section of the warning applies regardless of the location that they are playing in.
How do betting odds actually work?
To fully understand why a table tennis match fix – and any kind of fix, for that matter – is so frowned upon, it’s essential to understand how betting odds actually work.
In sports betting, the aim of betting odds is to show people how much of a chance they stand at winning, and how much money they will earn if they do. A great example, as listed by PaddyPower, is the odds of 1 to 1. This tells us that if someone places a bet of $1, they have a 50% chance of winning $1 on their bet.
This logic can be scaled up to fit other bets, and there are specific types of odds to be aware of- like fixed odds, for example. Different sports betting companies and important events will have different odds on, so it’s important to spend some time reading up on them and learning more.
The reason why match fixing is so heavily frowned upon is that it skews the odds, and makes the practice of betting incredibly unfair for the consumer. While there is always an element of risk with betting, entirely removing any chance of a person winning (or heavily dampening it) is incredibly unethical and shouldn’t be allowed.
Whether you’re betting on horse racing, eSports tournaments or soccer, it’s reassuring to know that you have a chance of winning. Incidents of cheating like this table tennis match fix make the industry look bad, and throw doubt into potential gambler’s minds.
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How the sports betting industry has progressed in America in recent years
In general, the sports betting world is progressing and evolving at an incredible rate, despite one-off incidents like this table tennis match fix. This industry is fast paced and innovative, and it’s full of creative companies too. While sports betting is not fully legal worldwide, there have been some amazing developments in the field lately.
There are a number of key states that should be pointed out as being frontrunners in the bid to legalize sports betting fully, which include;
- As we covered here, Illinois is on track to launching mobile sports betting.
- Some of the biggest companies in the game are working in Michigan right now- like DraftKings, for example.
- There have been plenty of incredible developments in Indiana’s mobile sports betting scene, including the recent launch of PointsBet’s products.
- Georgia is in a strange place with legalization right now, but progress seems to be coming along slowly but surely.
- While Tennessee’s position on sports betting isn’t considered perfect by many, it’s good to see that it still has been legalized.
- Washington State’s progress with sports betting has been long awaited, and it’s great to see that it’s finally coming along.
While it can be frustrating to see that some states have made little progress with the bid to fully legalize sports betting, seeing all these states and their incredible stories so far is very inspiring. It’s sure to be a fascinating finish to the year, that’s for certain.
Summary
All in all, it’s incredibly unfortunate to see a table tennis match fix in 2020. It’s nice to think that the sports industry may have moved away from match fixing- and for the most part, it has. However, there are still some bad apples who choose to fix matches, all around the world. This particular event left a bad taste in most people’s mouths, that’s for sure.
Regardless of incidents like these, it is important to note that the sports betting world has evolved and developed into something incredible in recent years. As we noted earlier on, there have been some brilliant developments in the sports betting world- in terms of legislation, destigmatization and technological developments as a whole.
Are you a New Jersey resident interested in playing online in our state and taking advantage of the best offers? Check out our curated list of NJ casinos, NJ sportsbooks and online bonuses.
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* New customers only. 20% match bonus up to $500.
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