Cricket has a fan base of over one billion people, 90% of them are from India. Also, cricket makes up about 90% of BCCI revenue. But, unfortunately, all of that was threatened to be ruined because of the lack of regulation and scandals. Scandals around cricket had the potential to shut down the game that hundreds of millions of people around the world love and enjoy watching. So today, we will go over what has happened and how to prevent it.
Biggest Cricket Betting Scandals
Here are just some scandals that happened over the years. These are one of the most critical media covered:
Hansie Cronje
In 2000, Delhi Police recorded one unusual conversation between Hansie Cronje and Sanjay Chawla. Little do they know then, but it will become the biggest match-fixing scandal in all of cricket history. Cronje was a South African cricket player loved by the whole community, but his involvement with Sanjay Chawla has put a marker on him. Chawla was a well-known member of the Indian betting syndicate, so it’s already suspicious. Cronje denied any involvement in match-fixing, but later, he admitted it during the cross-examination. Cronje was convicted, and he received a lifetime ban from playing cricket. His plane crashed two years ago, although many speculate it was a murder case.
IPL Fixing
One of the biggest scandals in cricket, and to make it worse, was in IPL. The Delhi Police have charged claims on three Rajasthan Royals cricketers, Ankeet Chavan, S. Sreesanth, and Ajit Chandila, because they were participating in a spot-fixing during the sixth season of IPL. Then the police looked at 23 other people for illegal activities and betting. Those 23 include actors, bookies, and co-owners of the team Gurunath Meiyappan and Vindu Dara Singh. Also, police accuse them of having a solid connection with criminals like Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel.
2000 Match Fixing
Jadeja was to thank for this one because, in 1998, he was the voice that said something was happening. He informed the BCCI, and the investigation led to uncovering one of the biggest scandals in cricket. The lead he gave the BCCI allowed them to investigate and find the people. As a result, Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma have faced a lifetime ban after a raid on their house. Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma, and Azharuddin were also accused and convicted of trying to bribe bookmakers.
Preventive Measures
Efforts legalize betting for everyone except officials, administrators, and cricket players. Also, those convicted of match-fixing are now criminal offenders. There is also a transparency increase as BCCI is now under the Right of Information Act. There are also now players’ associations to safeguard players’ interests. Overall, India is fighting with match-fixing and the legality of betting, and they are doing a great job. If this effort continues, we are sure they will accomplish a safe and legal environment for betting on cricket.
Closing Thoughts
You know what happened with the lack of regulation around cricket and betting on cricket matches in the past. Also, you are now informed about what preventive measures are taken for it never to happen. We hope these measures will hold up and cricket can become the game it once was.
