GC investigation leads to three arrests over boxing match-fixing allegations
Two men and one woman detained in Birmingham on suspicion of committing offences related to section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005
A Gambling Commission (GC) investigation has led to the arrest of three people in connection with match-fixing allegations on a boxing fight.
The investigation was conducted in tandem with West Midlands Police, leading to the arrest of a 54-year-old woman, a 33-year-old man and a 23-year-old man in Birmingham.
The 54-year-old and the 33-year-old were arrested in the Kings Norton area of the city, while the 23-year-old was arrested in Longbridge.
All three were accused of committing offences under section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005.
The legislation stipulates that a person is guilty of an offence if they cheat at gambling, or do anything to help another person cheat at gambling.
Cheating at gambling is defined in the act as “attempted deception or interference in connection with the process by which gambling is conducted, or a real or virtual game, race or other event or process to which gambling relates”.
Section 42 also states that it doesn’t matter whether a person who cheats at gambling improves their chances of winning or wins anything at all.
Anyone found guilty of a section 42 offence could be fined, sentenced to a prison term not exceeding two years, or both.
The decision to investigate came about following reports of suspicious betting activity linked to a boxing match which took place in 2023.
The regulator provided no further details as to which bout the investigation pertained to.
The GC has said it will not be commenting further on the matter at this time.
Back in November 2024, snooker player Mark King was suspended from the sport for five years after being found guilty of match-fixing and providing inside information.
King’s sanction came as the result of an investigation by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), the GC’s Sports Betting Intelligence Unit and Sportradar.
Another investigation aided by the GC’s Sports Betting Intelligence Unit led to bans for darts players Leighton Bennett and Billy Warriner in December 2024.
Bennett, 18, received an eight-year ban from the Darts Regulation Authority while Warriner was banned for 10 years, with both being ordered to pay £8,100 in costs.