Four players have been banned from all football-related activity for several years for their part in match-fixing offences in Australia's A-League. Kearyn Baccus and ex-New Zealand international Clayton Lewis were paid A$10,000 (4,940) each to get themselves booked during Macarthur FC's game against Sydney FC in December 2023. Both were sentenced to a two-year conditional release order, external in September and have now been banned for five years by Football Australia, effective from May 2024.
Professional-sports leagues would like you to believe they have the gambling problem under control. They have hired high-tech security companies to monitor wagers at a granular level and implemented sophisticated algorithmic systems to spot unusual gambling activity, ensuring that no athlete would be foolish enough to wager on a game. But they are clearly no match for the highly addictive, always-intriguing prop bet.
Former San Jose State player Steven Vasquez was one of three men's Division I college basketball players who had their eligibility permanently revoked on Wednesday by the NCAA after an investigation determined they bet on their own games and shared thousands of dollars in payouts. The NCAA Committee on Infractions released findings from an enforcement investigation that uncovered violations by Vasquez, and former Fresno State players Mykell Robinson and Jalen Weaver.
Moses Swaibu, once a professional footballer, became embroiled in match-fixing, leading to his conviction, incarceration, and transformation into an advocate against corruption in sports.
