Do you always think of conspiracy theories when betting on sports?

[Natalim]

Do you ever get that feeling when betting on sports, like something is not really right with the game?

I’m not saying every game is rigged, but sometimes you can’t help but think about it, especially with referee calls. Refs can really control the flow of the game if they want to. A few soft fouls here, a few missed calls there, and the whole result or even the total score can change.

For example, if they want the game to go over, they can call more fouls and send players to the free throw line. But if they want the game to stay under, they can just allow more physical play and swallow the whistle, even when there is obvious contact. I noticed this in the Spurs vs OKC series. SGA was not shooting that well on the road because the refs allowed more physical defense on him. But when he was playing at home, it looked like the refs were happy to blow the whistle even with very minimal contact. That’s the part that makes me question things. It should not matter where the game is played. If the calls are consistent, then home or away should not change how much contact is allowed.

So when I see that kind of difference, I can’t blame people for thinking something is being controlled. Maybe not fully rigged, but at least influenced by how the refs call the game.

[Asiska02]

Referees always have the bigger control of the game, they just have to be just to blow the whistle as the game is being played or they do unjust to favour one side over the other. Doing things, they use a very strategic approach in order not to make it look like that, but sometimes it becomes obvious that teams report when they feel they’ve betrayed them and these officials also faces panels. There is conspiracy in sport, some can be seen while some are hidden without clear facts to make it look like that.

[Russlenat]

That is how it is. They probably see that both teams are evenly matched, so they want to extend the series because it can generate big money. But after this, whoever wins, the Finals will still look better because the New York Knicks are already waiting.

For the game tomorrow, this is going to be exciting for sure. I don’t think there will be too many bad calls here because whoever reaches the Finals is already guaranteed to bring good viewing numbers. So let’s just enjoy the game tomorrow. If possible, don’t think too much about conspiracy theories so you can enjoy the game better.

Are you rooting for OKC or Spurs?

[GiftedMAN]

I grew up to learn that the result of some games are hugely influenced especially by match officials and because of that they're sometimes compromised to favour a particular team. I've watched games that made that belief even stronger. I've seen a team with better football on the pitch and rightly deserves to win but because most of the referees decisions were unjustly against them, they end up losing. So yeah, I think theory is real.

[Findingnemo]

Do you ever get that feeling when betting on sports, like something is not really right with the game?

I’m not saying every game is rigged, but sometimes you can’t help but think about it, especially with referee calls. Refs can really control the flow of the game if they want to. A few soft fouls here, a few missed calls there, and the whole result or even the total score can change.

No, I don't because I am not a fan of complicated games but something plain and straight. Let's say soccer you get to know the winner straight away by the number of goals but ref calls and others might impact the results heavily but there are games we completely unsure of who is going to be the winner until the refree calls it like in the boxing unless it is a knockout, so choose the games that are less complicated then you can have stress free gambling expereince.

[Dunamisx]

So when I see that kind of difference, I can’t blame people for thinking something is being controlled. Maybe not fully rigged, but at least influenced by how the refs call the game.

I don't think in such a way, because having thoughts in the manner will deprived me of the fun am expected to get from gambling, because every of their moves will be suspicious to me and this will definitely make me not to trust on their process, which is wrong, that I have a perception feeling about something doesn't mean such applies to the real situation, we shouldn't overthink situation like this.

[Botnake]

It is alright to think that way, that is your own choice and your own read. I just hope you are profitable with that kind of mindset because honestly, winning in sports betting is hard, but enjoying the game is easy. So just take it easy if your main goal is to be entertained in sports betting. Game 7 tomorrow will be a classic matchup, and the good news is that it is Sunday in my timezone, so I will certainly watch it.

OKC is now -5.5. Would that mean they are really taking this win?

[Pandu Geddon]

So when I see that kind of difference, I can’t blame people for thinking something is being controlled. Maybe not fully rigged, but at least influenced by how the refs call the game.

But this is unlikely to happen in every match throughout the season, or for every particular referee to officiate the game. We can also only realize it while the match is ongoing, and if we place a bet before the match, we might only be able to do a cashout if it is felt that the situation is not favorable to our bet.

[Charles-Tim]

I rarely watch sport, but I watch most important games like my country playing in continental cup or world cup, Champions League knockout and some Premier League matches. I may not noticed much about manipulations.

I also use small amount of money to gamble which makes me not to think much about how the match is. Almost all the matches I bet on this year, I barely watched them.

[Filicius]

I don't think in them. The problem is that we hear stories of this type very frequently, and that makes us think that they are more frequent than they really are. Of course, I have no way of knowing if this is the case, because I don't move through those circles where they may or may not make decisions about outcomes. But when faced with the decision of having to choose between thinking badly and thinking well, I prefer to think well and believe that in reality these must simply be exceptional cases that do not faithfully reflect the reality of the sports betting industry.

[Agbe]

What happened on the pitch is different from what happened with the bookmakers. In gambling to the best of my understanding, what happened on the pitch is not a manipulation to the gamblers though to some extent but the real manipulation might happens in the hand of the bookmakers if possible not sure. This matter has been discussed many times. There is no conspiracy in live matches.

[Rockson1]

Do you ever get that feeling when betting on sports, like something is not really right with the game?

Yea I have, there is this conviction in our mind  that something is wrong especially when we see a match thats supposed to favour a particular but didn't go in their way just because the referee decided to do what he likes to favour they other team, I'm grown to understand that this thing happens and that's why I don not expect much, in betting and gambling generally we should know that there are many things that influences the outcome, so the referee factor is there, I have watch several matches where I notice that the referee was actually against one team but there is nothing anyone can do about, in situation like this, we are helpless and left with our feelings.

[Ziskinberg]

What happened on the pitch is different from what happened with the bookmakers. In gambling to the best of my understanding, what happened on the pitch is not a manipulation to the gamblers though to some extent but the real manipulation happens in the hand of the bookmakers. This matter has been discussed many times. There is no conspiracy in live matches.

Can you explain how bookmakers manipulate games? Because as far as I understand, bookies do not really bet against us directly.

In reality, they are the ones managing the bets from both sides and making sure the winners are paid after the game. The good thing for them is that they can still win regardless of the outcome because of the juice or margin built into the odds.

So for me, they don’t really need to manipulate the game itself. What they can manipulate more is the line, the odds, and how bettors react to it. That is where they make the market interesting and make sure money comes in on both sides.

[goldkingcoiner]

Do you ever get that feeling when betting on sports, like something is not really right with the game?

I’m not saying every game is rigged, but sometimes you can’t help but think about it, especially with referee calls. Refs can really control the flow of the game if they want to. A few soft fouls here, a few missed calls there, and the whole result or even the total score can change.

For example, if they want the game to go over, they can call more fouls and send players to the free throw line. But if they want the game to stay under, they can just allow more physical play and swallow the whistle, even when there is obvious contact. I noticed this in the Spurs vs OKC series. SGA was not shooting that well on the road because the refs allowed more physical defense on him. But when he was playing at home, it looked like the refs were happy to blow the whistle even with very minimal contact. That’s the part that makes me question things. It should not matter where the game is played. If the calls are consistent, then home or away should not change how much contact is allowed.

So when I see that kind of difference, I can’t blame people for thinking something is being controlled. Maybe not fully rigged, but at least influenced by how the refs call the game.

I do sometimes get the feeling that something is rigged or off, but there is no plausible way to prove that so there is no point in thinking about it too deeply. All that thinking will only serve to make you more anxious and unsettled, which is bad for your mental health. And mental health can have a direct effect of your physical health.

I try to trust in the fact that these games are strictly regulated and the matches and everyone involved in them are being regularly checked in various ways to ensure the game stays fair and there is no malicious interference.

[Agbe]

What happened on the pitch is different from what happened with the bookmakers. In gambling to the best of my understanding, what happened on the pitch is not a manipulation to the gamblers though to some extent but the real manipulation happens in the hand of the bookmakers. This matter has been discussed many times. There is no conspiracy in live matches.

Can you explain how bookmakers manipulate games? Because as far as I understand, bookies do not really bet against us directly.

In reality, they are the ones managing the bets from both sides and making sure the winners are paid after the game. The good thing for them is that they can still win regardless of the outcome because of the juice or margin built into the odds.

So for me, they don’t really need to manipulate the game itself. What they can manipulate more is the line, the odds, and how bettors react to it. That is where they make the market interesting and make sure money comes in on both sides.

If possible. Because it will never happen on the field. As I said it is not in the live matches and probably in the virtual matches if possible. You can read this for more information. https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5507780.70;wap, many people said so and I don't know how is possible. There is an omission in the first post and will be corrected. It would have been "if possible" because I don't thick so.

[Nathrixxx]

I don't think in this manner, all because I gamble for fun, so I may pay less attention on things like this, once I can use a casino and get my desired satisfaction from it, I don't waste time on making findings to know whether if am being cheated or there's a kind of conspiracy theory in their set ups, sports betting is what I believe has to do with individuals abilities or experience.

[Perfectbaby]

Anyone is free to think whatever with their bet especially when they have fully believed on a specific team to win and it happens that the other wins or it was drawn, there are every chance to think that game was rigged and something was wrong along the line
 But realistically, anything that must happened must surely happens and if the game was to be in favor of Team A then nothing can change it because those whom we believe to be rigging games are under pressure especially when they are being caught, there are also penalties for them so they know consequences of rigging games.

[Akbarkoe]

It often bothers me after betting especially when my bet fails, sometimes I spend a lot of time re-watching the match to analyze how the match went carefully, and you are right that sometimes the decision of the wait can change the situation on certain occasions, such as fouls that are given or not considered by the referee, this makes me upset, but even though there is a great suspicion of such things and only evidence based on personal assumptions, in the end I can't do anything, and only become upset, so I don't think about it too much now.

[Japinat]

I don't think in this manner, all because I gamble for fun, so I may pay less attention on things like this, once I can use a casino and get my desired satisfaction from it, I don't waste time on making findings to know whether if am being cheated or there's a kind of conspiracy theory in their set ups, sports betting is what I believe has to do with individuals abilities or experience.

Well, if you are just gambling for fun, then this will not really interest you. But there are many bettors who are quite ambitious and believe it is possible to become profitable in the long run through sports betting. They know the sport, so they think they can get ahead using the skills they believe they have developed. That is a different mindset compared to someone who only gambles for fun.

If it is just for fun, you bet a small amount and the result will not affect you much. But for serious bettors, they are willing to risk a significant amount of money, partly for the thrill, but also because they are hoping to win.

[qwertyup23]

Lately, I am beginning to think about some conspiracies surrounding the NBA nowadays given the ridiculous calls that these referees do.

The funny thing is, the NBA uses this super expensive and high precision camera in order to review most of the fouls committed by players. However, even with all that technology, budget, and footage, they still refuse to acknowledge the mistakes of their referees.

I do think that there may be some high official on the league that has a stake on gambling; like the control to a certain degree the outcome of the games by intentionally miscalling most obvious fouls and other violations.

While this may be the case, I still enjoy watching the NBA as a fan. However as a gambling enthusiast that primarily bets on sports-betting, this is just a nightmare and an inevitable mistake leading to my demise if I bet based on my intuition and knowledge of the game.