Advantage Play & Game Integrity
Match fixing betting
Match fixing betting refers to wagers placed on sporting contests that have been intentionally manipulated for an undue advantage.
- Also called
- Match fixing, game fixing, race fixing, throwing, rigging, competition manipulation31
- Applies to
- Sports betting where the integrity of the contest is manipulated, including full-match outcomes and in-game events14
- Related terms
- Spot-fixing (single event), point shaving (margin without changing winner)45
Key points
- A player, official, or participant deliberately alters performance or officiating to make the result more predictable.32
- The UK Gambling Commission classifies match-fixing as competition manipulation under the Macolin Convention definition.12
- Motives can be sporting (e.g., relegation avoidance) or financial, and the manipulation may target the entire match or a single betting-relevant event.14
Related terms
Advantage play
Matched betting
A risk-free betting method using free bets, unrelated to match fixing.
Advantage play
Arbitrage betting
Betting on all outcomes to lock in profit, not manipulation.
Advantage play
Courtsiding betting
Betting on live events using on-site information, not fixing.
Advantage play
Arbitrage betting bot
Automated software for arbitrage, unrelated to match fixing.
Advantage play
Arbitrage betting odds
Odds that allow a locked-in profit, not manipulated contests.
Advantage play
Courtsiding
Gathering live data from a venue for betting, not fixing.
Sources
- Match-fixing: what do we do to prevent it? gamblingcommission.gov.uk Defines match-fixing as competition manipulation and cites the Macolin Convention.
- Protecting betting integrity - May 2019 gamblingcommission.gov.uk Describes how participants alter performance for betting advantage.
- Match fixing en.wikipedia.org Provides the general definition and alternative names for match fixing.
- Proposition bet en.wikipedia.org Distinguishes spot-fixing and proposition bets from match fixing.
- Spot-fixing en.wikipedia.org Defines spot-fixing and point shaving as related but distinct terms.
Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.