Comments made by David Haye after his WBC heavyweight boxing title fight knockout of Audley Harrison last weekend are subject to an investigation of match-fixing.  Immediately after the fight he stated to reporters he had told friends and family to bet on a knockout in the third round.  Questions were raised when Harrison’s performance was so poor and it was alleged that Haye was in a position to finish the fight in the second round, but for betting reasons, possibly waited until the third round ‘for a reason’.

In August 2007 the world of tennis was involved in allegations of match-fixing when the world no.4 ranked player of the time, Nikolay Davydenko, was involved in a match with very strange betting patterns.  It wasn’t the first time that Nikolay Davydenko was involved in such allegations and the ATP launched a match-fixing investigation.  One major internet betting website took the unprecedented step of voiding £3.4 million of wagers placed on Nikolay Davydenko’s second-round clash against Argentine Martin Vassallo Arguello at the Poland Tennis Open after alarm bells were raised by an unusual drift in odds during the match.

These days, it is much easier to have a bet on almost any sport, anywhere in the world because of the advance in communications.  But match-fixing is not a problem caused  the internet, there are and always have been unscrupulous businesses involved in anything where big money can be made.

The internet cannot be blamed for this massive problem.  I personally enjoy the extra excitement betting on the outcome of sports events brings; and there are plenty of reputable online betting websites to choose from, offering legal betting to respectable punters.

As well as websites offering online betting there are some great sites such as the Betting Expert Blog which compiles and posts statistics and analyse data from bookmaker data and sport stats.  The blog has a wealth of information which is not just informative but makes for interesting reading, too.  Now what can be more enjoyable than reading a good blog post that is going to help you win money!

Corruption is big business and betting scams and match-fixing allegations will always grab the headlines; and unfortunately this will always tarnish the practice of legal and sensible betting for fun.

Lewis was stopped by customs at Gatwick Airport after travelling into the UK from St Lucia, the drug allegedly carried in the players cricket bag. The dissolved cocaine was said by Customs officers to have been inside cans of fruit and vegetable juice.

The offence occured in December last year when the pair were stopped and a bag that Kirnon was holding for Lewis was found to contain around £7,000 in cash. Kirnon say’s that Lewis had asked him to carry the ‘man bag’ through customs as he was carrying more cash than he would be allowed to bring into the UK.

A further search of the suspects luggage led to the cocaine being found.