UK Gambling Commission reviews legitimacy of novelty bets
Wednesday 30th May 2007
Offbeat bets such as which footballer will receive the first yellow card in a match could be banned if a campaign by the Gambling Commission is successful.
The Commission has announced that it is contemplating introducing strict limitations on the type of bets that bookmakers are allowed to offer. In a consultation paper released last week, the gambling industry watchdog questioned whether it “should require the gambling industry to offer only certain categories of betting opportunities”.
Football, rugby and cricket administrators are anxious that a new wave of cheats are capitalising on the unusual sports bets that are not reliant on the results of a game.
The proposal is being fiercely opposed by figures in the betting industry, who argue that there is no evidence support claims of widespread cheating, spurred by such bets.
The scheme is one of many currently being considered by the commission to improve the reliability of sportsbetting. These include the introduction of an official results service for sport similar to the one that currently exists in horseracing.
