The Daily Telegraph‘s Ben Horne described the Big Bash League’s pitch-sider Rajiv Mulchandan as someone likely to be “usually intelligent, mathematically-minded … with an intrinsic knowledge of betting practices and cricket”.
I can accept “mathematically-minded” and even having “an intrinsic knowledge of betting practices and cricket”, but what Mr Mulchandan, a British national, did was kindergarten dumb.
Last Saturday night was the third occasion that he had been sprung and booted out of BBL matches this season for either betting during the match with his laptop or just acting suspiciously.
Cricket Australia clearly does not comprehend betting on cricket, which is a multi-billion dollar industry, so they have adopted the strategy of ‘if in doubt, kick ’em out’.
The naïve Rajiv Mulchandan only had to have an smartphone connected to an ear piece and he could have gone about his business undetected as many punters do already. This happens not just in Australia but around the world in all types of sports, but especially cricket and tennis when the market is fluid and can change dramatically in seconds.
It is not illegal to bet live on cricket in Australia via the phone, but it is if you are at the match.
Mr Mulchandan was simply trying to give himself an edge, which is fundamentally different to match-fixing and bribing players.
Detective Superintendent Scott Cook from the NSW Police Organised Crime squad said that “no sport was immune”.
“The intelligence we are getting suggests that most sports have been infiltrated to some degree, but it’s just a few people, not thousands,” he said.
Live betting via the internet is illegal in Australia. Punters must ring to place a live bet, which is often too late and the market has already changed, especially in horse racing. This draconian law has forced punters to bet offshore, which means the Australian regulators have no idea what transactions are taking place and who is behind any unscrupulous wagering.
This is not just an item for the next cricket board meeting agenda but all Australian sports.
Betting and especially live betting via the internet is a monumental business worldwide and it is not going to get hit for six and walk off.
It is here to stay and will get bigger and bigger. If our authorities are serious about controlling it and being the recipient of first hand intel then they need to push to change the betting laws and work closely with the corporate bookies in Australia.
The alternative is that more than 600 offshore bookmakers, who pay no taxes or product fees, are laughing all the way to the scoreboard.
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