Nothing is sacred.

[tikay]

As a random poll, how many people on here even due tennis players were 'staked' in a similar fashion to poker players with a % of their future earnings going to their backer for their whole career in return for the upfront investment at the start?

It was news to me, it had never crossed my mind that they were staked.

As long as they are staked, it's obvious they will come under pressure at times. 

[DungBeetle]

Novak Djokovic says he was offered $200,000 to fix a match http://gu.com/p/4fqt2/stw 

I just don't get it.  Even a moderately successful top 50 player has career earnings in multiple millions.  If they are bribing Novak £200k presumably it's less lower down the chain.  Just doesn't seem the risk if you are confident you can grind out a 10 year career.

[arbboy]

As a random poll, how many people on here even due tennis players were 'staked' in a similar fashion to poker players with a % of their future earnings going to their backer for their whole career in return for the upfront investment at the start?

It was news to me, it had never crossed my mind that they were staked.

As long as they are staked, it's obvious they will come under pressure at times.  

It also helps to explain logically why the Eastern European players are generally 20 times hungrier than the GB, funded to the hilt by the LTA, talent to put the extra work in and actually achieve in the game.  In the women's game there are numerous players who have 'affairs' with their backers in order to repay their debts/to continue to receive staking.  I know of one staker who has slept with some of his charges.

Tennis is a dirty big money business which is loved by the rich in society hence why the big sponsors will always want to be involved.  Like most businesses (poker especially) below the surface and glamour of the slams and big money sponsorships there is a lot of dodgy stuff going on. Does the ATP really want to rock the boat and lose their blue chip backers?  That is the question that needs to be answered really.

[Chompy]

Incred knowledge arb.

[arbboy]

Incred knowledge arb.

Seems incredibly obvious to me.  If rich kids with lawyer fathers can't afford to make the game pay in the UK how on earth do people think dozens of totally potless russians are suddenly affording all of the ex's to run around the tour before they get famous?

[arbboy]

I should make it clear i am have never accepted any offer to get involved in these type of coups because i value my betfair account too much and, secondly, once you tell people they can't get £50k on a challenger match at 365 so we can all have a piece of the action to justify doing it most of these guys are not so keen.

[tikay]

Suppose I'm Mr Naïve, but I'm stunned by all this.

I assumed that all the youngsters were funded by respective National Academies, & after that, sponsorship, prize money & appearance fees took care of the money.

 

[tikay]

And now you tell me it happens in poker, too? Lordy. 

[arbboy]

Suppose I'm Mr Naïve, but I'm stunned by all this.

I assumed that all the youngsters were funded by respective National Academies, & after that, sponsorship, prize money & appearance fees took care of the money.

 

That is how the GB kids are funded (and obviously numerous other countries) and even most of them go skint trying with all the LTA funding cash.  I would be amazed if there are many countries who support their talent better than GB 'legally' shall we say in financial terms in their early years.

[arbboy]

What has suddenly happened now though which is forcing this into the mainstream media?  That's the thing i want to know.  Something must have happened for it to suddenly take off.  It hasn't suddenly started occurring.

[horseplayer]

What has suddenly happened now though which is forcing this into the mainstream media?  That's the thing i want to know.  Something must have happened for it to suddenly take off.  It hasn't suddenly started occurring.

..

Somebody from the beeb is close with the author of the buzzfeed article I guess

[arbboy]

In 2003 i had a client at a firm i was working for who phoned up demanding to speak to the head of tennis as the firm was the first firm outside of the exchanges to bet atp tennis to 103% every game every week (that was me amongst other roles).  We used to actually speak to our bigger clients in these days instead of saying 'you can't possibly speak to a trader his decision is final' like they do nowadays.  He was a guy from a central European country (the same country as the player who he was looking to oppose) who said 'i want to bet £10k on player x to lose 2-0 today'.  The player in question has been ranked in the top 10 in the world for singles in his career.  He said he was sitting in a casino in the same city as the event and if i took his bet and paid him he would tell me why he wanted the bet.

I agreed to take the bet (it was an even money shot i think from memory - he had £5k at evens and another £5k at 1/2 just to see how real he was.  When he was happy taking 1/2 for £5k i got the impression he wasn't messing around) and instructed my junior trader to get the £10k back and more from arbers by going top price in the world the other 3 outcomes.  I also set up a 'special market' for the event.  Player A not to win 2-0.  I then phoned up every arber on the firms books personally and said we will stand this special for whatever you can get on the other side with major books so effectively my firm were betting against our rival firms and giving the arbers a 1% freeroll for getting us on.

He told me 'player x will lose 6-2 6-3 today and can i back that outcome as well at 20/1?'  I said 'Hold on we don't do correct scores on tennis!!! Your bet is on and will be paid in full should it win and your account will not be closed win or lose.'

Obviously the guy lost 6-2 6-3 and the guy got paid (he came back to us several other times with similar bets always involving the same player) and we still won on the market because we ironed out numerous arbers big time.  This is how firms should use arbers to their advantage.  Arbers couldn't care less who they win and lose from.  By using arbers in this manner my firm still won big on the event and took money directly out of our rivals pockets.  

Glory days when bookmakers were bookmakers and actually took bets and used information to their advantage rather than saying 'trading decision' and following spreadsheets.  Incredibly our trading room used to get xmas cards and gifts from arbers for being willing to give them action even though the vast majority of them were losing money to our firm.  Could you imagine arbers sending betting firms xmas cards and presents in 2016?

[DungBeetle]

Great story Arb.  Wish bookies had brains these days and actually played the market.

[arbboy]

Great story Arb.  Wish bookies had brains these days and actually played the market.

Isn't that what bookmaking is about?  Being sharper than your rivals and not just living of degen mugs and addicts and not taking any other business?

[tikay]

Great story Arb.  Wish bookies had brains these days and actually played the market.

Isn't that what bookmaking is about?  Being sharper than your rivals and not just living of degen mugs and addicts and not taking any other business?

Well we would all like to see that, but.......

None if us want to see sport being "fixed", do we? Horse Racing, Tennis, Athletics, Cricket, & so on.

In the case under discussion, your Firm (& probably others) KNEW there was something amiss - they KNEW a bent game was about to take place.

Do you really think that, in that spot, be it Tennis or any of the other sports, the Bookie should sit on his hands, & stay schtum?

Bookies are not policeman, no, but in effect they are party to the conspiracy to defraud if they KNOW a bent game is in the offing, & they take bets on it knowing that.

To my mind, they should go to either the Police, or the Authorities, & report it, should they not?

If these bent guys can't get a bet on, the bent coup can't happen.

Not having a go at you personally, when you work for a Business, it's a bit awkward.

I absolutely get the bookies dilemma here - they can make a fortune by having this inside info. I don't think they should, though. Longer term, it is in their interests for sport to be clean.