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Bookmakers suspend betting on key UK Snooker Championship clash
• Maguire v Burnett match is cause of concern to bookmakers
• Matter in hands of governing body and Gambling Commission
Owen Gibson and Clive Everton
guardian.co.uk, Monday 15 December 2008 15.32 GMT
Article history
Stephen Maguire contemplates a shot during the recent world championships. Betting on his UK Championships match yesterday with Jamie Burnett has raised the suspicions of bookmakers. Photograph: Keith Williams/Action Images
Leading bookmakers suspended betting on a key clash in today's UK Snooker Championship after becoming concerned about unusually heavy betting on a particular scoreline. Victor Chandler, Ladbrokes and others pulled their odds on correct-score betting on the first-round match between Stephen Maguire and Jamie Burnett after a flood of bets on Maguire to win 9-3. After resuming this afternoon with the score at 6-2, Maguire did in fact defeat his fellow Scotsman 9-3.
William Hill, which does not offer correct-score betting before the quarter-finals, had also pulled its odds on bets for the overall winner of the match. Bookmakers have reported the matter to the game's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, and the Gambling Commission.
The Association of British Bookmakers, the umbrella organisation that represents the biggest names in the industry, is understood to have conducted its own investigation into the unusual betting pattern and issued an advisory note to its members on Friday afternoon flagging up its concerns.
It has passed on its report to the WPBSA and the Gambling Commission, which is already looking into betting patterns on a snooker match in which the former world champion Peter Ebdon lost 5-0 to the world No40 Liang Wenbo. Both players have denied any wrongdoing. "We've suspended betting due to suspicious betting patterns on an correct score of 9-3," said a Victor Chandler spokesman.
It is believed that bookmakers became suspicious when a number of bets were placed on Friday, all predicting the same score at odds of 6-1. Cliff Wilds, head of sport at Victor Chandler, said the bookmaker noticed several bets from new online accounts being opened in the Glasgow area, all betting on the same score. He said that correct score bets usually tended to be made in the 48 hours leading up to a match, rather than four days beforehand.
He added: "With lower ranking events we would normally be a bit more wary about things like this. But the fact that it is the second-biggest tournament of the year, and is televised, we wouldn't normally expect to see it. It may be something we have to look at."
The bookmaker will conduct its own internal investigation and also wait to hear back from the Gambling Commission and the WPBSA before deciding whether to honour those bets that were placed.
The WPBSA was approached for comment and was considering its response at the time of publication. The players were unavailable for comment while their match was in progress.
• Maguire v Burnett match is cause of concern to bookmakers
• Matter in hands of governing body and Gambling Commission
Owen Gibson and Clive Everton
guardian.co.uk, Monday 15 December 2008 15.32 GMT
Article history
Stephen Maguire contemplates a shot during the recent world championships. Betting on his UK Championships match yesterday with Jamie Burnett has raised the suspicions of bookmakers. Photograph: Keith Williams/Action Images
Leading bookmakers suspended betting on a key clash in today's UK Snooker Championship after becoming concerned about unusually heavy betting on a particular scoreline. Victor Chandler, Ladbrokes and others pulled their odds on correct-score betting on the first-round match between Stephen Maguire and Jamie Burnett after a flood of bets on Maguire to win 9-3. After resuming this afternoon with the score at 6-2, Maguire did in fact defeat his fellow Scotsman 9-3.
William Hill, which does not offer correct-score betting before the quarter-finals, had also pulled its odds on bets for the overall winner of the match. Bookmakers have reported the matter to the game's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, and the Gambling Commission.
The Association of British Bookmakers, the umbrella organisation that represents the biggest names in the industry, is understood to have conducted its own investigation into the unusual betting pattern and issued an advisory note to its members on Friday afternoon flagging up its concerns.
It has passed on its report to the WPBSA and the Gambling Commission, which is already looking into betting patterns on a snooker match in which the former world champion Peter Ebdon lost 5-0 to the world No40 Liang Wenbo. Both players have denied any wrongdoing. "We've suspended betting due to suspicious betting patterns on an correct score of 9-3," said a Victor Chandler spokesman.
It is believed that bookmakers became suspicious when a number of bets were placed on Friday, all predicting the same score at odds of 6-1. Cliff Wilds, head of sport at Victor Chandler, said the bookmaker noticed several bets from new online accounts being opened in the Glasgow area, all betting on the same score. He said that correct score bets usually tended to be made in the 48 hours leading up to a match, rather than four days beforehand.
He added: "With lower ranking events we would normally be a bit more wary about things like this. But the fact that it is the second-biggest tournament of the year, and is televised, we wouldn't normally expect to see it. It may be something we have to look at."
The bookmaker will conduct its own internal investigation and also wait to hear back from the Gambling Commission and the WPBSA before deciding whether to honour those bets that were placed.
The WPBSA was approached for comment and was considering its response at the time of publication. The players were unavailable for comment while their match was in progress.
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