YouGov: How does match-fixing influence betting and viewership?

More than two in five British sports or esports bettors say match-fixing influences what they bet on, according to a new YouGov Direct poll that looks at how the issue affects betting behaviours and viewership.

Data shows 26% of Brits who have bet on sports or esports say match-fixing – where the outcome of a match is fixed in advance to ensure a particular outcome – has some influence on what they place money on, while 17% say it has a lot of influence. Three in 10 of this betting group say it has no influence at all (31%).

YouGov ran an identical survey in the US, which lets us look at differences between the UK, a mature sports betting market, and the US, in which sports betting is becoming more widespread thanks to cascading state-level law changes. Among US sport gamblers, 33% say the issue has a lot of influence, while 22% say it has some. A quarter say it has no influence at all (24%).

Survey results show Britain’s sports gamblers are most likely to think match-fixing happens in boxing on a regular basis (47%), followed by horseracing (43%), and football (42%). Other sports on our survey list include cricket (30%), tennis (21%), esports (19%), Formula 1 (17%), rugby (15%), and golf (12%).

In the US, boxing also appears in the top spot (35%), followed by American football (27%), and horseracing (26%), baseball (23%) and mixed martial arts (22%).

Suspicious minds

Recently, Sportradar Integrity Services found 1,100 suspicious matches since April 2020 and the firm suggests it is a rising issue since the Covid-19 pandemic started. This may be a result of the commercial hit sports organisations took in the last year and a half thanks to government-mandated closures, as well as an increase in the use of digital communication, making it easier for fixers to recruit officials.

The rise of esports and betting around it has also made it an increasingly popular target for fixers. More than 70 suspicious matches across five different game titles have been detected by Sportradar since April 2020.

And few British sports gamblers think the issue is going away. A quarter say the amount of match-fixing in professional sports is increasing (24%), while a third think it’s staying the same (33%). Just 8% think it’s decreasing.

Who should be responsible for addressing the issue?

Half of bettors say it’s up to sport governing bodies to tackle match-fixing (49%), while 15% say it’s the responsibility of government or law enforcement. In 2020, a Sport Integrity Forum was launched with the backing of The Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport. Relatively few sports bettors in Britain think it’s up to the teams (13%) or leagues (5%).

Gambling aside, this issue affects general viewership, our survey finds. A healthy majority of Brits in general say match-fixing would turn them off watching the sport (71%), while 9% say it would not. One in five say they’re not sure (20%).

Methodology: YouGov polled 1,200 British adults online on 20 October 2021 between 4.27pm and 11.17pm BST. The survey was carried out through YouGov Direct. Data is weighted by age, gender, education level, region and social grade. Results are nationally representative of adults in Great Britain. The margin of error is 2.8% for the overall sample. YouGov polled 1,200 US adults online on 20 October 2021 between 11.28am and 2.30pm. The survey was carried out through YouGov Direct. Data is weighted by age, gender, education level, political affiliation and ethnicity. Results are nationally representative of adults in the US. The margin of error is 2.8 for the overall sample.

Having worked with YouGov for more than a decade, Oliver Rowe has advised companies including Tesco and Barclays on their reputation management. He now brings that experience to bear on a sector which includes the betting and gaming industry in his role as global sector head for leisure and entertainment.