Man City’s deal for West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta is now in question due to alleged online sports betting improprieties. The FA is currently investigating Paqueta’s receipt of yellow cards tied to unusual betting activity in Brazil.
The news is understandably unsettling for Paqueta, the English Premier League, FIFA, and the English Football Association (FA). But it also raises issues for UK betting sites and sports bettors.
Lucas Paqueta received a yellow card in the 94th minute of West Ham’s Aug. 12 match against Bournemouth. That triggered integrity alert, highlighting suspicious betting activity in Brazil, associated with the booking.
This was not, however, the first integrity alert triggered by a Paqueta yellow card. In fact, the FA was already probing two previous Paqueta bookings tied to unusual bets.
In March, Betway’s integrity alert system detected a series of suspicious bets placed on Paqueta to be booked in West Ham’s match against Aston Villa. Paqueta received a yellow card in the 70th minute of that match. Betway immediately reported their findings to the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA). The IBIA reported the suspicious bets to FIFA and the FA.
Meanwhile, in a match against Leeds in May, Paqueta was booked in the 65th minute for a late tackle on Crysensio Summerville, fueling the FA’s ongoing investigation.
Paqueta, who denies any wrongdoing, did not place the bets. They were, however, reportedly placed by legal sports betting accounts registered in Paqueta's name, on an island near Rio de Janeiro close to the midfielder’s childhood home.
Betting begets betting scandals
If proven true, this would hardly be the first betting scandal involving UK football. Most scandals, however, are cases of prohibited gambling by a player. Recently, Brentford forward Ivan Toney was fined £50,000 and received an eight-month ban for placing hundreds of football bets. In 2016, former Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton received an 18-month ban for gambling. Barton, now the manager of the Bristol Rovers, admits to having placed thousands of bets while an active player.
There are, however, cases where an action is taken by a player, specifically to trigger a payout. This can range from getting booked to outright match fixing.
Perhaps the silliest example of a player triggering a bet involves Wayne Shaw. Apparently, Sun Bets was offering 8-1 odds that Sutton United’s “Roly Poly Goalie” would eat a pie on television during the fifth round of the 2016-17 FA Cup. Shaw, Sutton’s back-up goalie, did in fact eat a pie while on the bench, knowing full well about the wager. Shaw was subsequently fined £375 and banned for two months – but did receive an offer from Morrisons supermarket chain to become their official pie taster.
More betting options - more oversight
UK betting sites are no strangers to betting irregularities. But the current environment is challenging, even for the most diligent. Granted, integrity alerts detected abnormal betting patterns leading to this latest FA inquiry. But given the exponential growth of in-play wagers and the advancement of location-deceiving technology, betting sites must stay vigilant. That’s also true for bettors.
Bettors should read the fine print associated with each wager and pay attention to unusual odds or abnormal line movement. For instance, at least one savvy fan found the odds for Paqueta’s booking in March to be suspicious:
I find it very strange that Paqueta is 8/11 to be booked today
— Rob (@alwaysagooner83) March 12, 2023
A player with only 3 yellow cards this season is ODDS ON to be booked for West Ham today.
Surely there is something going on there?#EPL #WHUFC #betting
Stay updated with the latest picks, odds, and news! Tap the 
to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
