Baseball Match-Fixing in Taiwan

Reports in Taiwan said baseball match-fixing began in May of 2009. Gangsters alleged to have payed players 30,000 to 3 million Taiwan dollars, the equivalent of up to $90,000 USD for throwing games. In response to these allegations Taiwan Premier Wu Den-Yih ordered an investigation into the island's national sport in October 2009. According to Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) rules if anyone is found guilty of fixing games they will be barred from playing baseball forever. Sounds similar to a certain USA baseball player by the name of Pete Rose.

More Match Fixing in International Soccer?

Referee Anton Geneov has been suspended by the European soccer governing body while investigating him for allegedly fixing an international match.

CNBC Special The Big Business of Illegal Gambling

Catch the CNBC special The Big Business of Illegal Gambling tomorrow night Wednesday December 16, 2009 at 8pm cst. Might be some interesting insights into people who might be behind a fix or payoff and the others who win or lose from it.

Georges St Pierre and Greasegate

Watching UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn win last night at UFC 107 reminded me of his loss to a greased up Georges St Pierre on January 31, 2009. Why would a fighter as talented as GSP resort to such acts of cheating? I can't answer that but found some interesting YouTube videos to back up claims against him. This first video features evidence from that fight and from several other fighters who opposed GSP in the past. The second video is good for a laugh or two so enjoy.

Soccer Match Fixing Scandal Part II

Chicago Tribune reporting, "The international gang suspected in Europe's biggest match-fixing scandal supplied sedatives to team doctors and hotel cooks to drug players in matches to be manipulated, a lawyer for one of the arrested suspects said Friday. Prosecutors believe the gang did not shy away from locking up people in basements or sedating players lawyer Burkhard Benecken said. According to prosecutors, they were extremely violent he said. The doctor of a Slovenian team was given sedatives to use on his own players, and the chefs in luxury hotels were given drugs to disable players, Benecken said."

Soccer Match Fixing Scandal

As quoted in the November 30, 2009 Sports Illustrated, "Arrested by police in Germany and Switzerland, 17 people accused of being involved in a soccer match fixing scandal. Officials said they suspect that criminal gangs influenced players, coaches and officials in some 200 matches in competitions ranging from Turkish top-division play to the European under-21 championships to the early stages of the UEFA Champions League. But at a press conference that was televised live in Germany, where 32 games are under suspicion, Bochum police director Friedhelm Atlhans said, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Earlier this year UEFA (the governing body for soccer in Europe) implemented a betting fraud detection system, partly in response to the 2005 conviction of a German referee who admitted to manipulating the outcomes of games in his country's domestic league."

Donaghy Claims Mob Threatened Family

Ex-NBA referee Tim Donaghy is back in the news and will be featured on 60 Minutes on Sunday, December 6th. Donaghy tells his story about the mob threatening his family to ensure he dispensed his insider picks. He bet on these games based off his knowledge of other officials' biasis for and against certain teams and players.