Betting on Bundesliga resumes.
Last weekend, the German Bundesliga made its return as the first top European soccer league to do so. At the same time, the struggling sports betting market is showing signs of recovery. Yet not everyone is celebrating this turn of events. Experts are raising concerns about the possibility of unpredictable ghost matches and increased betting manipulation. Is this justified?
Many uncertainties
The Bundesliga was back in action since the weekend (May 16) with the Revierderby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04, which saw Dortmund winning 4-0. The matches were held as ghost games without any audiences due to infection control measures. Sky set a new record with over 5 million viewers watching.
The recent suspension of top-level sports across Europe has hit the betting industry hard. The German Sports Betting Association (DSWV) recently reported a 90% drop in revenue. The return of the Bundesliga is, therefore, a much-needed lifeline not only for fans but also for bookmakers. With other European leagues not expected to resume until mid-June, all eyes are currently on the Bundesliga.
However, this has created some unique challenges for providers and punters alike. Experts and insiders are voicing concerns about the many anomalies arising from the situation. For instance, it's difficult to gauge the fitness levels of the teams after a month-long break. Moreover, the concept of ghost games is entirely new to the industry. As a result, matches could take unexpected turns.
Home wins get a boost
The absence of spectators means the home advantage is lost, leading to increased odds on home stadium victories. This may present more complications for bookmakers than for punters as sports betting vendors typically have a better grasp of game conditions. A punter told Focus magazine about this:
"Nobody knows how the change in training and ghost games will affect the teams and their form. The bookmakers' information edge has diminished, which is a plus for bettors."
Some prominent German bookmakers, such as Tipico, have responded to this atypical situation by introducing bets on a "ghost league." A separate table has been created for match days 26-34, and a "ghost champion" will be declared at season's end. For instance, if FC Bayern claims the "ghost cup," the punter gets 200 times their stake.
Betting manipulation on the rise?
Transparency International suspects that it may. "If betting providers and gamblers now focus on the German betting market because this is the only place where professional soccer is happening, fraudsters will also be involved," explained Sylvia Schenk, Head of the Sports Working Group at Transparency Germany. As people eagerly await the ability to bet again, rigorous security measures could take a back seat.
UEFA had already sounded the alarm on the potential rise of match-fixing in April. In Ukraine, for instance, betting winnings were paid out for matches that probably never took place. There have also been incidents of fraud in Germany. In 2005, the referee scandal surrounding Robert Hoyzer grabbed headlines. Most recently, professional footballers Addy Menga, Tobias Willers, and Marc Heider were trialed for attempted extortion related to match-fixing.
Discussion about risks
However, Carsten Thiel von Herff, a lawyer who's worked with players from Germany's first and second leagues for almost ten years, doesn't believe betting manipulation will rise. Herff, who serves as an independent contact for players, added that DFB trains them in betting manipulation regularly.
The number of players contacted by scammers hasn't increased ahead of the Bundesliga resumption. On the contrary, the likelihood of contact was significantly lower due to quarantine measures. Transparency International's Schenk, however, believes "insider information" can be easily disseminated digitally or through phone calls.
Changing sports betting landscape
Beyond the debates on ghost games and betting manipulation, everyone from experts to fans to punters agrees that the sports and betting market will never be the same until a vaccine against COVID-19 is found. But even before the pandemic, the sector was already undergoing change, mainly due to the planned regulation of online gambling in Germany.
The special rules for online sports betting, which have been in place since the beginning of 2020, were supposed to replace the third Interstate Gambling Treaty with a new legal framework. The process of granting licenses to international operators had begun. However, the process was unexpectedly halted in April by a ruling from the Darmstadt Administrative Court.
An Austrian company called "Vierklee" filed a lawsuit against the German licensing process, claiming it was both non-transparent and discriminatory. Mathias Dahms, president of the German gaming authority DSWV, said the ruling dealt a significant blow to the planned deregulation. It's uncertain whether there will be another round of regulatory challenges. We'll have to wait and see for now.
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Source: www.onlinecasinosdeutschland.com
