Incident Took Place in Late 2024
The incident in question occurred during a Czech Table Tennis Star Series tournament in October and November of 2024. According to the AGCO, FanDuel and other online sportsbooks were warned that match-fixing could be planned for the event, though no solid evidence was provided.
During the tournament, FanDuel accepted 144 bets from three different accounts. Those wagers mainly focused on picking players to lose a match, and won at an unusually high rate. All of those factors should have alerted FanDuel to potential match-fixing, but the sportsbook was unable to catch it.
Match-Fixing Remains a Significant Threat
Match-fixing has been a plague on sports for decades, but has become far more prevalent over the last few years. Major stars have been involved in scandals at the pro and college levels, including two involving NBA and MLB players uncovered over the summer.
The uptick in match-fixing and other betting scandals has led pro and college leagues to panic. Questions about the integrity of their product are growing louder, with fans increasingly suspicious as they follow their favorite teams. That hasn’t led to a drop in fans, but many fear that will change if the issue isn’t addressed.
One reason this FanDuel incident stands out is the warning sportsbooks had about the tournament. That kind of warning is rare, and to see it squandered is frustrating for regulators and fans across the continent.
Are Sportsbooks to Blame?
FanDuel has repeatedly stated it understands the severity of the incident, but insists it did everything it could. The industry leader pointed out that it was the only operator to catch and report the suspicious activity. It believes this should have been enough to avoid the fine, which brings up questions about the role sportsbooks play in the rising issue.
Sportsbooks can detect suspicious betting, but it's important to remember they are not a form of law enforcement. That means their use of customer information, including GPS location, is more limited than many expect. If they chose to use that information to stop scandals before they began, it could be seen (and prosecuted) as an invasion of privacy.
While demanding that sportsbooks do more is appropriate, it's important to remember they are victims too. Match-fixing is stealing revenue from operators, especially when involving events that don’t draw many wagers.
