Avoid “Fixed Match” scam

These matches are NOT fixed, but our expert betting tips

Fixed match scams in Nigeria

In the world of sports betting, you should always expect both wins and losses. Of course, everyone hopes to win more than they lose, but one of the most important rules that any good sports bettor follows is to have a deep enough bankroll to sustain a run of bad luck. This allows you to keep enjoying the fun of betting on games without the anxiety of getting into an accidental financial bind.

Unfortunately, there are some people who try to manipulate the odds when it comes to how often they win or lose a bet related to a football match. While it is far less common now than it was in the past, the sad truth is that match manipulation and match fixing are still serious problems that exist in the realm of sports betting today.

More experienced players are less likely to fall prey to these types of match fixing scams than new players, but very few people are completely immune to the enticing promise of making a guaranteed profit. It can be especially difficult to turn down certain deals these days because of how well certain websites can disguise their scams to make them seem legitimate.

It is important to note right away that any website, Facebook group, betting house, casino or person that promises sure wins, guaranteed bets or anything similar is trying to scam you out of your hard-earned money.

What is a fixed soccer match?

Before you can understand why guaranteed winning bets on sporting events are not a real possibility, you have to know what exactly a fixed football match is.

In one form of match fixing, the players agree to intentionally manipulate their performance strategy in order to ensure that the final score is a particular number or that one team wins. Another form of football match fixing can involve the game officials intentionally making calls that favor one team or give one team a pronounced advantage regardless of how the actual game is being played.

In essence, a fixed soccer match is a game in which one or more of the participants have agreed to lose the game on purpose. When you see the term “participants,” this can refer to individual players, entire teams, managers and referees. There are a few different ways that a sporting match can be fixed. Some ways are even quite subtle, especially now that the Internet is so pervasive. In the paragraphs below, we will cover all of the ways that a football match can be fixed. This information will help you to more easily discern when bets are suspicious.

It is also important to note that match fixing can occur in ways that are more subtle than simply throwing the result. Thanks to technology and the explosion of online sports betting, criminals have become even more savvy with the minute levels at which they are now able to manipulate the game. Intelligently timing penalties, strategically angling throw-ins and other seemingly minor details can be influenced just enough to change the outcome of a match.

Criminal syndicate involvement

Crime syndicates all over the world can stand to make enormous amounts of profit from betting on sporting events that have predetermined outcomes. Because so many of these organizations have the ability to manipulate events behind the scenes both close to home and across continents, it is an unfortunately common practice to see criminal enterprises offering substantial amounts of money to players, officials, or lower-level game authorities to throw the match in a way that is favorable to them.

This type of soccer match fixing is most frequently seen in the minor sporting leagues and lower-tier clubs. Because these players may be newer, less skilled or unable to get paid at a top-tier professional level, it can be easier for crime syndicates to bribe them to perform poorly in a particular game. Officials in these smaller leagues may also be more susceptible to monetary bribes as well, especially since it is a fairly well-known fact that the chances of getting caught generally decrease significantly in the lower leagues.

While monetary gain is often the main reason behind players or officials agreeing to fix the outcome of a match, this is not always the case when organized crime groups are involved. In some cases, these criminals may put heavy pressure on players or referees by threatening bodily harm to them or their families, or threatening to inflict damage to their lives if they do not agree to intentionally lose the match. This is an unfortunate and dangerous reason for match fixing.

Referee involvement

In some instances of football match fixing, the deception stems from referees calling matches in a way that favors one outcome or another depending on the bets that have been made. It is common to see both referees and officials involved in this type of match fixing since it is generally more difficult to fix a match if no other officials besides the referees know what is going on.

A fairly well-known example of this happened in 2006, which many sports fans may already know about. In 2006, there was a serious scandal in the Serie A tournament that involved clubs like Juventus, Milan and a few other top-tier teams actively trying to influence which referees were going to be selected to officiate their matches. This is an obvious breach of the fairness of the game, and it resulted in serious consequences for the teams that were involved. In this scandal, referees were chosen by top Italian football officials and pressured into favoring certain clubs so that the matches would go in a particular direction. Once the scandal broke, many fans were outraged, and some participants were handed lifelong bans from the sport.

Inter-team bribery and official involvement

The final way that soccer match fixing often happens is when officials from one team try to bribe the players from another team so that the match will go in their favor. This instance of match fixing is particularly tricky because the players are most often simply being paid under the table to under-perform just enough to throw the match but not so much that it would necessarily be suspicious.

One famous example of this type of match fixing happened in 1993. The president and general manager of the French football club Marseille contacted players from the Valenciennes club and successfully bribed them to alter their performance in the upcoming match just enough so that the Marseille team could be fresh enough to play their European Cup final match at peak performance six days later. The match between Marseille and Valenciennes went as planned, with many Valenciennes players profiting from the scheme, and Marseille was able to defeat Milan in their final European Cup match to become the champions. This scam was uncovered later, and Marseille was convicted of match fixing, but because it was not during the European Cup match against Milan, it was ultimately decided that the team could keep its title win.

The dirty truth of match fixing

The unfortunate truth is that there are likely many football matches that are fixed in one way or another, but they are never found out. Because so much of the match fixing happens in scenarios that involve high-ranking officials or dangerous criminal organizations, it can be difficult to pin them down. It is also true that the majority of these crimes happen in lower leagues where there is less scrutiny.

However, the common threads are there. All forms of match fixing require serious amounts of money, influence and connection. People who fix soccer matches need to have vast, complex networks that they can rely on to keep the gears of the operation running smoothly.

Now, it would be reasonable for sports betting fans to think that match fixing might not be all bad. After all, if these organizations are paying players to determine the outcomes of matches ahead of time, then couldn’t the people who place bets on these matches also stand to benefit? The problem is that no layperson can truly be a part of these scams. The people who fix these matches do not ever advertise it online, and they especially would never highlight it on Facebook, Whatsapp or Twitter. This would cast suspicion on their operation, and it would make the entire scam much more difficult to maintain. This is why we can always say with total confidence that any advertisement you see for guaranteed wins and sure bets is fake.

Match fixing is a very serious criminal offense, and there are severe consequences for any who are found guilty of it. In fact, Nigerian sports fans may remember the match-fixing scandal of 2013 that involved Plateau United Feeders and Police Machine FC against Akurba FC and Bubayaro FC, respectively. In the two promotional playoff games that were scheduled for these teams, Plateau United Feeders won their game 79-0, and Police Machine FC emerged victorious from their match with a score of 67-0. All four clubs who participated have been handed down a 10-year ban from the game by the Nigerian Football Federation, and all of the names, photographs and details of the people involved have been published into public record, and all of the information was passed along to major football organizations as well. In addition, the players and officials who were directly involved in the cheating have been banned from participating in the sport at all for life.

These types of scandals are treated very harshly, and they can ruin the reputations of players, clubs and even entire countries for years, all for the sake of making a quick, one-time profit.

The good news: Premier and Champions League matches cannot be fixed

Fortunately for people who like to bet on major sporting matches, it is nearly impossible for the games in the Premier League and Champions league to fall victim to match fixing. This means that bettors essentially do not need to feel concerned when they decide to place wagers on matches in these league tournaments. As long as you have placed your bets with a reputable site that is not advertising guaranteed profits, there is virtually no cause for concern.

There are two main reasons that Premier League and Champions League matches cannot be fixed. The first reason is money, and the second reason is exposure.

1. The money is just not good enough to cheat

As mentioned earlier, major cheating scandals and fixed matches typically only occur in the lower leagues among players who are not as well-known. The amount of money involved in these leagues is far less than what is found in the big football leagues across Europe. Premier League and Champions League are two of the most lucrative sports league in the entire world, and this translates to big money for everyone involved in the leagues as well.

Many of the players who are a part of these leagues are millionaires many times over, and some of them are even billionaires. Because of this, it simply would not make sense for them to agree to any type of criminal match fixing deal for money. Not only would that jeopardize their entire career and take away their ability to play and earn more money, but the amount of money offered to them to throw a match would almost certainly be the same or less than they would make normally. No matter what the price was, these star players could easily make that and more by playing the game properly.

2. The risk of exposure is too great

Although it is extremely common to see the involvement of crime syndicates in match fixing for the lower leagues, this is far less common for the top-tier leagues. These criminal organizations have to be able to bribe and threaten players in order to get the results that they want, but this is next to impossible in the major leagues. Many of the players that would need to be coerced are incredibly famous, so it would not only be difficult to get to them privately, but it would also be hard to make threats that could be carried out without immediate public notice.

For the majority of criminal enterprises, this high level of risk is simply not worth whatever reward they might get. There is too much media attention on these famous players and high-ranking clubs, so the danger of being exposed is too great.

What about the officials?

You may be remembering that the previous section mentioned how officials can be paid off to call matches in favor of one club or another and wondering if this happens in the Premier League and Champions League as well. It is completely true that this could happen, but it is important to remember that the two primary reasons that were already covered do still apply to match officials too. The referees that are employed to officiate these matches are well-compensated professionals with solid reputations, and they would be taking an immense risk by accepting bribes of any kind to throw a match.

Finally, in regards to the involvement of referees as well as the overall topic of why the top-tier leagues do not generally fall prey to match fixing, this is one of the most important pieces of advice to remember: The people who would go to such lengths to fix matches in their favor would not ever stoop to offering sure bets on the Internet. Successful criminals do not make a habit of advertising their illegal activities in public forums like Facebook groups and sports betting websites.

Stay far away from “Best Free Fixed Matches Today!” scams on Facebook

It’s understandable to want to make the best possible bets with your hard-earned cash. Everyone wants to minimize the risk of losing money. Unfortunately, because this is common knowledge, it is easy for bad actors to exploit the natural urge to look for the best possible odds.

Some websites and social media groups will be pretty obvious about their tactics. It is fairly common to see Facebook groups that advertise “free fixed match tips” or “guaranteed wins” for the day. Some sports betting websites will have banners that mention sure bets, lists of fixed match tips and other similar promises of easy money. Because sports betting is such a popular pastime in Nigeria specifically, Nigerians are targeted by these scammers especially frequently. This is why it is so important for Nigerian sports betting fans to be informed and understand how to make good betting choices.

Other scammers are more subtle with their tactics. Some punters will advertise that they have inside information about the outcomes of certain games, and they will offer to sell this information for a hefty markup. The idea is that they hope to entice people into thinking that they will make back the money they paid for the information, but if you stop to think about it before jumping in, it no longer makes sense. Anyone who has real insider information that can turn a profit is certainly not going to sell it to random people on the Internet.

Why it is impossible to get genuine fixed matches online

In the case of sports betting and online gambling in general, the old saying of, “if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is” definitely applies. Sites that advertise guaranteed betting tips, huge bonuses or “professional sure bets” are all seeking to scam bettors out of as much money as possible.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that most people know this, these untrustworthy sites still have a surprising amount of sway in the sports betting sphere. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will be able to not only avoid these shady sports betting groups and websites for yourself, but you will also be able to spread the word to friends and fellow punters about why it is best to avoid any type of fixed-match promises.

Anytime that you might feel tempted to try the advice from one of these websites or Facebook groups, just remember the advice that this article has been reiterating throughout: Criminals will never advertise their wrongdoing in a public forum. If there are match-fixing deals happening for certain games or leagues, then they will be kept as quiet as possible so that they are not exposed. Remember that there are serious legal consequences to participating in football match fixing schemes, so it would not make sense to do anything that would draw attention to the fact that there was criminal activity happening.

Another thing that Nigerian sports bettors should always keep in mind is that career criminals like the ones who participate in soccer match fixing do not ever do things that are for the benefit of others, especially strangers on the Internet. There is no criminal organization that is going to freely share genuine advice on how to profit from a fixed sports match with people in a Facebook group or following a Twitter account. Because it is often the case that criminal syndicates are involved in paying specific players, buying off officials or pressuring leagues into allowing them to determine the outcome of certain matches, it would not make any sense for them to then turn around and risk exposing their operation by sharing inside information with random sports betting fans on the Internet.

It would be especially risky to try to advertise their schemes on such public forums as Facebook. Even if you are a part of a private Facebook group that is supposed to be the go-to spot for insider betting tips and information about fixed matches, there is almost no chance at all that you will get legitimate betting tips from anyone in the group. Groups like these are often created for one of two reasons.

First, they are made by relatively new or unknown sites that are hoping to drum up business and drive traffic from Facebook to their web page. By giving their group an exclusive feel and an exciting, clickbait title, they know that they are more likely to entice sports betting fans to join. They might offer basic strategy advice, but if you join these groups, you should still be wary because it’s possible that they are just trying to scam people out of their money.

The second reason that Facebook groups like these might exist is that low-level criminals and fraudsters are hoping to catch gullible, vulnerable or inexperienced bettors so that they can exploit them to make a profit. Groups like these are quite insidious, and some may even use very legitimate-sounding lingo in order to sound more authoritative. However, if they are offering you any type of guaranteed wins, regardless of how big or small, they are not operating above board, and you should never give them access to any of your personal information.

“Fixed Match” sites are never what they are advertised to be

Just like with the Facebook groups that were mentioned above, any website that claims to offer betting lines on fixed matches should always be avoided completely. These types of sites are created by bad actors, and they will always find a way to ensure that you pay in as much money as possible, but they will never pay out for any bets you might win, regardless of whether or not they were for a so-called fixed match.

Even the most inexperienced sports bettor should know that it is never a good idea to deposit money on any website that claims to offer wildly good deals such as huge betting bonuses, “sure bets,” and other over-the-top prizes. In almost every single case, the people who are running these sites have absolutely no way to back up the prize claims that they are making, and in every case of “guaranteed wins” and “sure bets,” they are flat-out lying in the hopes of tricking naive players who are just hoping to make a quick buck by betting on a particular soccer match.

The unfortunate truth of this online gambling reality is that even the best-case scenario ends with you losing a lot of money. On the “best” end of the spectrum, you will place bets with one of these sites, and they will turn around, take your money and then refuse to pay out any winnings that you might accumulate. This is all too easy for shady operators to do, and there are a number of ways that they can do it. Some websites will just shut down completely with no warning, and other sites will have very complicated terms and conditions that are worded in such a way that they cannot be sued for the money that they have scammed you out of. There are also sites that will simply give players the run-around and refuse to answer customer service inquiries until most people simply give up and write off their bets as losses.

While the best-case scenario may sound bad, the worst-case situation is even more complicated and messy. There are some fixed-match sites that will do their best to put up a front that looks legitimate, and the really smart ones will offer bet lines and bonuses that are really good, but not as blatantly outrageous as some of their competitors. This often makes it easier to lull unsuspecting players into a false sense of security, and they will be more likely to deposit at least a small amount of money with the site in question “just to see what happens.” Sadly, what often happens is that these criminals are then able to store all of the person’s identifying information, including credit card numbers, bank accounts, and other sensitive details. These things are then used to steal that person’s identity, run up huge amounts of fraudulent charges, empty their bank accounts and access other confidential data. As soon as you input personal information or payment details into one of these sites, they will waste very little time in taking as much of your money as possible.

Europol is fighting back against fixed match scams

Europol is the official law enforcement arm of the European Union, and they are taking corruption in sports very seriously. It is an unfortunate fact that match fixing has reached serious proportions, and it affects many international sporting leagues around the world. Football has been hit particularly hard with fixed match scandals, and so Europol has decided to take a hard line stance against the manipulation of sporting matches, especially soccer games.

The European Union recognizes that getting a handle on the world of football match fixing is something that will require a concerted effort that reaches across national borders. This is why Europol has teamed up with law enforcement agencies across the European Union to assist with the analysis of possible sports corruption. In fact, they have opened a special analysis project specifically for sports corruption, and so far, 14 member states, two non-EU countries and INTERPOL are all collaborating in this effort.

There is another joint project that was founded by the EU and the Council of Europe that focuses primarily on sports manipulations. The program is called “Keep Crime Out of Sport,” and Europol is also offering its support to this project as well. Currently, the project is focused on disseminating a practical guide that outlines ways to fight back against the manipulation of sporting matches. Europol is helping the committee analyze existing intelligence, create analytical reports, and host operational meetings. They are also offering mobile units and expert manpower on an as-needed basis to assist local law enforcement agencies.

So far, this concerted effort has led to the identification of nearly 400 suspicious matches, and more than 50 important arrests have been made. While this is a good start, Europol maintains that it will take serious, prolonged commitment of time and resources across the European Union in order to truly make a difference when it comes to cracking down on football match fixing schemes.

Bet smarter with our reliable (and legitimate) betting tips

There are no sure bets when you’re wagering on sporting matches, and that’s okay. Part of the fun of betting on your favorite soccer matches is the thrill of waiting to see if you made the right call.

While you should always avoid any place that advertises fixed soccer match bets, there is no harm in using betting tips from trustworthy online sports books. There are many different ways for bettors to more accurately predict the outcome of a legitimate match using statistics, data and past game play. Many of the most popular betting sites have their own unique algorithms for running the numbers in order to get data that is as helpful and accurate as possible. These sites will not ever promise that their tips are guaranteed, but they are often useful for helping sports betting fans make better and more informed bets without having to waste hours of their time researching statistics and data on their own.

See also our today’s march predictions.