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Tom Biddington

As long as illegal gambling exists at multibillion-dollar levels, sports across all spectrums are ripe for corruption.
That is the only way to read the Asian Racing Federation anti-illegal betting taskforce’s paper, which highlights the consequences of the scourge.
While there are associated social costs – in terms of lost revenue and the human expense – the real message is that illegal gambling compromises the integrity of sports themselves.
The numbers the report throws up are enormous, and in all likelihood the actual figures are even bigger, but the real issue strikes at the heart of the purity of competition.
Suicide, money laundering and match-fixing: the US$4.2 billion scourge of illegal gambling in Asia
“In every jurisdiction examined in this White Paper, sporting corruption from illegal betting was found,” the report states.
“Illegal betting is more attractive than legal to fixers because it generally offers far more markets and sporting events and accepts much larger wagers without asking questions.
“Illegal operators do not follow sporting integrity best practices such as alerting authorities to suspicious betting or sharing data with law enforcement.
“Illegal betting-related match-fixing is a threat in every jurisdiction at every level.”

Integrity is paramount for any gambling product. If punters don’t think it is a fair contest, they won’t bet.
It is why the Hong Kong Jockey Club spends millions and millions of dollars ensuring every piece of trackwork is recorded, veterinary issues are made public and stewards are empowered to uphold the rules of racing.
It is about building faith with your customers, ensuring they can bet (legally) with confidence.
By providing plenty of prize money and the ability to earn a large wage, it (in theory) reduces the urge of participants to stray.
Citibet – racing’s billion-dollar headache: uncovering the illegal exchange’s huge turnover
Because that is the other side of the equation – those seduced into throwing a race, or a game or conceding a goal to manipulate a result.
As the report states, it is common sense that athletes who are not well-paid are “vulnerable to fixers”, and when turnover far exceeds prize money it gives “those involved an obvious incentive for corruption”.
While there are plenty of stories from the old days about jockeys rigging races, the reality today is it is much harder. Races in Hong Kong are highly scrutinised, mobile phones can be impounded and banking transactions obtained.
While the Nash Rawiller disqualification last year got plenty of attention – he received gifts or money for tipping his own horses – there was no concern about him trying to achieve the best result.

The last time there was a big integrity issue in Hong Kong racing surrounded jockey Howard Cheng Yue-tin in late 2016, when he was first suspended for not taking “all reasonable and permissible measures” to achieve the best result in a race and subsequently refused to provide his financial statements to stewards after they found incriminating text messages.
Stewards said Cheng’s refusal to comply with the directive “compromised the ability of the stewards to conduct the inquiry, which therefore directly impacted on the integrity of the sport of horse racing”.
Cheng was never found guilty of any race-fixing charges; he was banned for passing on information to people he wasn’t supposed to, and when he declined to provide information the stewards required, he lost his licence and his career was ended.
Frankie Lor is named as Hong Kong newest trainer; Howard Cheng’s riding career looks over
It is those riders on the fringes who are more susceptible to approaches about stopping a horse for financial gain.
For jockeys at the top like Zac Purton and Joao Moreira, there is far too much to lose. Risking your reputation, career and millions of dollars of future earnings to chase a quick buck is just not smart.
But while the Jockey Club needs to remain vigilant, it is the sports without solid integrity infrastructures in place that are most vulnerable.

The report highlights the case of former Hong Kong footballer of the year Lee Wai-lim, who accepted HK$20,000 to direct his players to fix a match in the Hong Kong Reserve League in 2016. It is a reminder that illegal bookmakers will bet on obscure markets virtually anywhere.
But it doesn’t stop there, the report also focuses on a South Korean e-sports professional who fixed a match for just US$4,000 in 2017.
Former Hong Kong footballer of the year Lee Wai-lim spared jail in match-fixing case
And remember, these are just some of the people who have been caught, many more would have got away with it.
It is a sad reality, but this document is a stern reminder that virtually every sport can be infiltrated by illegal gambling.
No one is immune, but some are in a position to fight it better than others.


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Hong Kong Jockey Club

Illegal gambling is rife in Asia and as long as it thrives, all sports are in danger of corruption

Horse racing is at the forefront of illegal gambling in Asia. Photo: Alamy

Race 10, Howard Cheng Yue-tin ridding Thunder Stomp ready to race at Sha Tin. 08OCT16

Former footballer Lee Wai-lim arrives at the District Court in Wan Chai to hear his sentence over a match-fixing offence. 04MAY18 SCMP / Dickson Lee

A man holds his bet for the coming mark six draw this evening which having estimated 1st Division Prize Fund at 100,000,000hkd, Stanley Street in Central. 22JUL16 SCMP/ Felix Wong

Suicide, money laundering and match-fixing: the US$4.2 billion scourge of illegal gambling in Asia

Horse racing in Hong Kong is a big business with the non-profit Jockey Club returning about 80 per cent of its surplus to society through tax and charity. Photo: Kenneth Chan

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Director of Security and Integrity, Mr. Martin Purbrick at Happy Valley Racecourse. 25Feb10

Race 9, Follow Me, ridden by Joao Moreira, won the class 3 over 1400m at Sha Tin. 06JAN19

Seoul Racecourse. 09SEP17

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epa07297982 White House press secretary Sarah Sanders speaks after US President Donald J. Trump welcomed North Korean Vice-Chairman Kim Yong Chol to the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 18 January 2019. After their meeting, the White House announced a second summit between President Trump and North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un, though little progress was made toward denuclearization after their first meeting. EPA-EFE/JIM LO SCALZO

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Sport

Hong Kong

Racing

The Asian Racing Federation anti-illegal betting taskforce’s paper highlights the impact of the scourge and how it is getting worse


Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Illegal gambling is rife in Asia and as long as it thrives, all sports are in danger of corruption

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}The Asian Racing Federation anti-illegal betting taskforce’s paper highlights the impact of the scourge and how it is getting worse

The Asian Racing Federation anti-illegal betting taskforce’s paper highlights the impact of the scourge and how it is getting worse