There’s always been speculation that some sports are rigged, not just small leagues but even the big ones like the NBA, NFL, MLB, boxing, even soccer.
Every season you’ll see fans and bettors pointing to “scripted” moments, questionable referee calls, or outcomes that feel too perfect for TV ratings.
Some bettors don’t believe in this at all. For them, stats and analytics are the only way to bet, and if you crunch the numbers right, you’ll find value.
But on the other side, there are gamblers who think differently, they look for spots where a game could be rigged. Instead of analyzing every stat, they try to read the “angle” of the game. For example: a league wanting a series to go 7 games, or a star player getting a “protected” win. These bettors just follow the possible rigged side, believing it’s the easier and less energy-consuming strategy than drowning in data.
What do you think? Is betting on the “rig side” actually an effective strategy, or just an excuse when people lose using stats?
I doubt the big ones are rigged. There are too many people involved and the rigging would be leaked quickly. There is too much risk for the riggers. But smaller sports events might be rigged sometimes. I have no clue how often but if we look at how often we hear about rigged games being called out, I think it is a very rare event. Unless you are talking about shady, underground sports gambling outside of the law. Those are most likely rigged.