Fears of match-fixing grow as grassroots NZ football matches attract millions in online bets
Punters anywhere in the world can bet on the outcomes of games played by teams such as Queenstown Rovers, Dunedin's Roslyn Wakari or Christchurch's Cashmere Technical Reserves, as well as place 'spot bets' on anything from the number of corners in a game to the last team to score.
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Offshore bookmakers such as bet365 use sideline spectators to report on matches, known as 'pitch-siding', and they have become a common sight on the country's playing fields.
NZ Football communications manager Peter Thornton said requests for the online betting sites to stop offering odds on their competitions had been ignored.
Thornton said as pitch siding was legal, it was difficult for clubs to restrict access to live match data.
Among the handful of spectators at the FC Twenty 11 reserves vs Coastal Spirit reserves match at Avonhead Park in Christchurch on Saturday was a man who said he was relaying in-play information to a firm called Genius Sports.
He said it was then passed on to online betting sites.
New Zealanders spent about $380m on offshore gambling sites in the last 18 months but much of the betting on New Zealand football is coming from Asia. The lower level games are available for both pre-match and in-play betting through websites like bet365 based in England.
Mainland Football chief executive Julian Bowden said a fixing incident was almost inevitable in New Zealand because "that is what has happened overseas".
"Four years ago this wasn't an issue. Now we are taking it seriously. We haven't seen any results that look suspicious but we are hugely aware of the discussion."
In warnings about fixing, New Zealand Football (NZF) has told clubs $37 million was bet on the ISPS Handa premiership, the top national mens' football league, in the 2017/18 financial year, with 75 per cent of bets coming from Asia.
The premiership is well regulated but players for the country's lower level leagues, such as the Southern Championship and Canterbury Womens' Championship, are more vulnerable to players betting on their own teams, or passing on insider information.
In 2018, $13 million was bet on the 2018 Northern Regional Football League and $500,000 on the 2018 Central League. Lotto NZ and the TAB are the only New Zealand organisations able to offer online gambling but betting offshore is legal.
New Zealand's time zone means its football is played at attractive times for Asian gambling markets.
On Wednesday this week, on a cold Dunedin night, Otago University played Mosgiel in the Women's South Premier League. On bet365 punters were able to bet on nearly 20 different outcomes.
Queenstown Associated Football Club president Dennis Dowling first heard about the betting a few weeks ago, when a wager was placed on bet365 that his 17-year-old son, who is goalkeeper for the Wanaka Premier Grade team, would keep a clean sheet.
"He gave up a goal. There was a bit of disappointment that he didn't honour the bet, didn't meet the standard."
The area was geographically isolated so talented young players, some as young as 15, had to play with older players.
"They are playing in an environment that's amateur, where every player is accessible. There's the opportunity for unintended consequences. It's not set up for that [betting], there's no regulator."
Christchurch football players say talk of betting on players' own games is rife. It is illegal to bet on any match or competition in which a player or their team is involved - but there are grey areas.
discovered a Facebook post from the manager of a Nelson club team, advising punters of a good bet on a May game between his club's senior side and another Nelson team.
He said the other team drew the previous weekend with his club's reserve team who were "all kids". Betting on his club, which won the match 7-0, was a certainty, he said in the post.
He answered a question about whether his club was fielding a full strength team with the news: "Usual keeper is hurt but it won't matter pal. If anything good for the four goals and over."
Several punters boasted of betting $150 on the strength of the tip to make a profit of about $300. Another made a profit of $500.
When approached this week, the manager said he had not bet himself and he did not have a bet365 account. He wasn't aware of the rules about providing inside information but believed the information he provided was publicly available.
Information circulated to clubs by NZF warns of a "new wave of match-fixing and corruption world-wide" where fixers work on players to over long periods of time.
"It will start as a friendship. Followed by small favours. Once you are in... you will never get out," one of its slides say.
In Christchurch, Coastal Spirit Football Club chairman Darren Johnson said he was worried about his members getting caught up in illegal activities.
"I've heard a few stories about people betting on their own games, whether it's true I don't know... It's open to massive abuse."
At another city club Halswell United, general manager Sam Bunn said it was difficult to stop players betting.
"It's difficult to police. We have no idea who is or who isn't betting."
Christchurch United's marketing manager Matt Carruthers described the extent of betting as "crazy".
"I find it surprising that you're actually allowed."
He had been to "loads" of games where bet365 staff were on the phone the whole game giving live coverage.
"It's quite obvious who they are, they're stuck to their phone the whole time," he said.
Wanaka AFC has a team playing in the Southern Football Championship for the first time.
The club did not want to involved with betting websites, president Robert Norman said.
"It is amateur sport, and we should be protecting our players and club members from this aspect of the game."
Stop Out Sports Club manager, Chris Canton, in Lower Hutt, was more concerned about regional football getting some money from the betting.
"It's gambling, it's fine. It was more how do clubs get a percentage of it."
"Everyone should be concerned, but what we also need to be aware of is a lot of money in the game comes from pokies. If we're all upset about it there would be no gambling then clubs would die."
Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin launched a public discussion document on online gambling in July.
Since the current Gambling Act came into force in 2003, new technology had dramatically altered the way New Zealanders gamble, she said.
"It's now timely to check whether our gambling rules are appropriate," she said.
Andree Froude, of the Problem Gambling Foundation, wondered why it was even necessary to be able to gamble on an amateur sport with players who weren't even old enough to gamble themselves.
"Sports betting, and the advertising that goes with it, normalises gambling for children and young people and affects the integrity of sport. In Australia, recent research found that 75 percent of 8 to 16-year-olds think gambling is a normal or common part of sport. Is that what we want for our kids?"
The other concern, she said, was the ease at which you could place a bet online.
"You literally carry the TAB around with you in your pocket – it's so accessible."
NZ Football said it had maintained an integrity register since anti-match-fixing and sports betting regulations were introduced in 2015.
"We've received a low level of reports over the past four years," said the communications manager.
A police spokeswoman said match-fixing was a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of three years jail.
"Where possible, police work with the various sporting organisations and player associations to ensure that if players are approached they know who to contact, whether that's someone within their organisation or the police."
GAMBLING SUPPORT
Free, confidential counselling and support is available both for the gambler and anyone affected by someone else's gambling.
PGF Services 0800 664 262 www.pgf.nz
Mapu Maia Pasifika Service 0800 21 21 22 www.mapumaia.nz
Asian Family Services 0800 862 342 www.asianfamilyservices.nz
Gambling Helpline available 24/7 0800 654 655 or text 8006
