Two professional darts players are facing significant penalties after being involved in match-fixing in order to clear a gambling debt. Leighton Bennett, a teenage prodigy who made headlines by beating Phil Taylor at just 14 years old, has received an eight-year ban, while Billy Warriner has been banned for a decade. In addition to the bans, both players are required to pay £8,100 ($10,270) to cover the costs of the investigation.
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) raised concerns about suspicious betting activity on four matches involving Bennett in September 2023. Video footage showed Bennett missing the dart board entirely during one of the games, prompting further investigation. It was revealed that Bennett had provided insider information to others about the matches and failed to cooperate with the probe, leading to his guilt on ten counts of match-fixing.
Warriner was found to have shared insider information about Bennett’s matches and organized betting on those games. He was also charged with acting as an unregistered darts agent and faced separate charges related to misconduct towards a darts official and threatening an opponent. Bennett, who became the youngest BDO World Youth Darts Championship winner at the age of 13 in 2019, was persuaded by Warriner to participate in the match-fixing scheme in an attempt to clear his gambling debts.
Warriner confessed to his involvement in the match-fixing, stating that he had contacted Bennett to participate in order to alleviate his financial troubles. He instructed friends to place bets on his behalf and believed they had successfully avoided detection until Bennett’s phone was seized by authorities in January. Warriner claimed that Bennett was easily convinced to fix the matches as he had already been eliminated from the competition.
The Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) conducted a thorough investigation into the match-fixing allegations and issued the lengthy bans to both players. The decisions were made following a hearing last month, giving the players until December 14 to appeal the rulings. The DRA, along with the UK Gambling Commission’s Sports Intelligence Unit, was alerted to the suspicious activity by the IBIA, highlighting the importance of maintaining the integrity of sports betting.
The consequences of match-fixing in professional sports are severe, not only resulting in bans for the players involved but also damaging the reputation of the sport as a whole. The penalties serve as a warning to other athletes about the consequences of engaging in unethical behavior and the importance of upholding the integrity of sports competitions.
In conclusion, the case of the two professional darts players facing bans for match-fixing serves as a reminder of the serious consequences of compromising the integrity of sports competitions. The penalties imposed on Bennett and Warriner highlight the commitment to maintaining fair play and ethical standards in sports, sending a clear message that such behavior will not be tolerated.