Off, off, off, off to collect my winnings
Irregular betting activities around a Scottish Premier League match are being investigated by the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB).
Motherwell player Steve Jennings was red carded against Hearts, which alerted bookmakers to possible problems. Bets of £100, £200 and £500 on a Motherwell player being sent-off were placed online by punters from the Liverpool area. As Jennings comes from Liverpool an ABB investigation has begun.
The lunchtime placed bets were spotted by bookmakers, who have a system in place to detect irregular movement in the betting market.
Not all bookies have ‘specific red card’ betting, but bookies offering the service were targeted.
The player himself is “flabbergasted” at the allegations, according to Well’s interim manager Gordon Young. And some supporters at the match were not sure why the red card was given.
It was unclear whether the dismissal was for ‘touching’ the referee or for verbal abuse directed towards the him. The player was booked after eight minutes but later received a straight red card.
An SFA statement said: “We are aware of alleged betting irregularities surrounding a sending-off incident. At this stage, we are not in possession of the facts regarding the allegations and are waiting for further information from the Scottish Premier League in due course. Once we are in possession of all of the facts, we will be in a better position to provide more detailed comment on the matter.”
Will the bookies have a rethink and scrap the ‘specific red card’ betting in the near future?
Time will tell and I’m sure we’ll all be watching this with interest in the coming weeks.
