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

[Jewan420]

The referee's decisions certainly have an impact on the outcome of a match and the performance of the players. Especially in football, where the referee is very much dependent on the match, the referee tries to keep the match under his control. Even if the match is not fixed, the biased behavior of the referee can spoil the image of the match. I have seen many matches where one team takes advantage of the referee's decision to influence the match or tries to win the match. To remove the sole dominance of the referee from the match, the players or managers should be free to challenge the referee's decision. However, steps should also be taken so that neither side can waste time at crucial moments of the match.

[lionheart78]

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

No, I don't have the feeling when I am putting a bet.  It happens when the game ended, and the performance looks like it was rigged.  When I am betting i do not think of anything because it can only put stress and frustration, making one paranoid, thinking of things that have not happened yet.

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.

We cannot remove the suspicion, especially the uncalled fouls, that should have been called.  The obvious "favoritism" of the referee especially when the referee came from the host country.

[Suleiman the Magnificent]

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.

Thinking about the global sports betting market, where millions of dollars are wagered daily, anyone who claims everything operates strictly by the rules is probably living in a fairy tale. Wherever there's big money, there's also cheating and all kinds of other fraud. So yes, it is a reality that referees, players and officials sometimes act improperly and cause outcomes to unfold contrary to expectations. However, it's equally wrong to take this to a paranoid level and claim that corruption exists across all sports betting.

[MorganaX]

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.

Thinking about the global sports betting market, where millions of dollars are wagered daily, anyone who claims everything operates strictly by the rules is probably living in a fairy tale. Wherever there's big money, there's also cheating and all kinds of other fraud. So yes, it is a reality that referees, players and officials sometimes act improperly and cause outcomes to unfold contrary to expectations. However, it's equally wrong to take this to a paranoid level and claim that corruption exists across all sports betting.

No doubt that cheating do occur in sport betting but it doesn't happen on all league, I mean there is absolutely nothing that is done today in this world that humans don't try to cheat their way out especially when it involves money. One of the league that this sort of cheating do occur is the Brazilian league well atleast they have been cases of one or two occasions recording the scenario. I just believe that it's not everywhere one doesn't have to hold on to the mindset too.

[Slow death]

Many times I've bet on a game and then watched it, but during the game I felt something was off. Something like the referee favoring a certain team. Lately, I've had a strong feeling that referees tend to be biased, although they do everything discreetly during the game. Even today, in the Champions League game, I bet on PSG to win, but while watching the game I realized the referee favored PSG. I confess I even felt ashamed for having bet on PSG and stopped watching the game after 90 minutes.

[Agbamoni]

If you think of conspiracy theories a lot, you may never get to place a bet at all. Refs are a big part of the game, and they dont always make the perfect call because there will surely be some controversial moments in the game. However, do not think it is fixed, especially in professional leagues where detecting and investigating match fixing is often done. If you spend too much time thinking about a controversial moment, you may make the wrong call.

[r_victory]

In my opinion, with VAR, the referee's decision can be questioned. I believe that before VAR, manipulation was easier. It still happens, obviously; there are some events that are clearly questionable, but a more thorough investigation is needed to determine manipulation, which doesn't always happen. Doubt always exists, but it won't always be proven unless it attracts the attention of influential people in the sport in question.

[knuckey]

Usually, a cheating referee greatly affects the course of the game and the decision of who wins. This is what I usually worry about in sports betting. If the referee cheats (maybe paid before the match) to support one of the teams he paid, the referee will very easily help his team win and no one can question the referee's decision, whether it is the players or the audience. If we had known from the start, maybe we could have changed our bet. But I'm sure if that happened to our favorite team, we would have been very disappointed.

[nelson4lov]

I think about it a lot and it's for good reason. I've had NBA bets where the game just stops 1 point before any of his under or over lines are met. There have also been incidents where players have intentionally altered their performances for the benefits of their bet slips and those of their friends. I even saw theories about investigations into referees for their involvement to tryabd influence the outcome of the games. I've also seen times when a player that averages 15 PPG in recent games will only shoot 0-2 FG and destroy all the overs. Or do we want to talk about theories where players will be said to be injured just to destroy overs?

[stadus]

In my opinion, with VAR, the referee's decision can be questioned. I believe that before VAR, manipulation was easier. It still happens, obviously; there are some events that are clearly questionable, but a more thorough investigation is needed to determine manipulation, which doesn't always happen. Doubt always exists, but it won't always be proven unless it attracts the attention of influential people in the sport in question.

In the NBA, they have what they call a challenge, and every team can use it if they think the call is wrong. But it is not unlimited, so coaches have to be careful when using it. Once the challenge is already consumed, even if they see questionable calls later, they cannot challenge anymore.

That VAR thing is more like us, the public watching the game. We can criticize and say what we think, but it will not really have an impact on the outcome because we are not the officials.

[Cantsay]

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

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.

While some theories like this might be the actual truth, I usually don't stress myself to think about it. I simply go for the game that I wish to bet on and place my bet without having to worry whether it was rigged or not. This is also the reason I don't bet on unknown teams or games.

The moment I start overthinking the bet, that is going to be the end of my love for that game, especially when I start to notice a pattern or when my mind starts to create patterns that were never true. I don't want to think of sports betting as something that has been arranged already, and we are all busy betting without knowing it.

[Orpichukwu]

I do feel like that sometimes but not all the time; there are ways in which a ref will appear to be against a particular team and be blowing against them, and it triggers me to even cash out sometimes because I could easily be convinced that such a game is already somehow rigged and there is a high chance the game might end in the favour of the team I might have placed my bet on for them to lose.

[Odusko]

Usually, a cheating referee greatly affects the course of the game and the decision of who wins. This is what I usually worry about in sports betting. If the referee cheats (maybe paid before the match) to support one of the teams he paid, the referee will very easily help his team win and no one can question the referee's decision, whether it is the players or the audience. If we had known from the start, maybe we could have changed our bet. But I'm sure if that happened to our favorite team, we would have been very disappointed.

This have been the reason why many refs have lost their job or even serving jail time because of the involvement in match rigging, one of the reasons for regs power over the outcome of a match is because of his office as the head of official during a match because is whatever he blow the whistle for that becomes the reality on the pitch which means he holds the gun and can eliminate any team chances of winning through his influence, but this decision doesn't often go unquestioned.

[freedomgo]

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.

They can do that, but what the refs call is final unless it gets challenged. However, the thing is, we mostly only see the fouls that are called, but we do not always notice the no-calls because those are not reviewed. That area can still be a big factor in affecting the outcome. Imagine if refs are not calling fouls on SGA even when he gets harassed, the crowd might just ignore it because they already see SGA as a flopper.

So it does not really help totally because judgment is still based on people, and people are biased.
Most of us are biased too because we do not like OKC.

[alastantiger]

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.

In sport games there are reasons why we have home and away advantages to game, the referees will always prefer to give the home team a fair treatment because of the amount of crowd that the home team will be having as their fans get to chant some abusive words to the referees or try to make the whole atmosphere of the stadium to be hostile to both the away players and the referees. Home advantage helps the home team and this are not conspiracy theory but this are fact, when I was reading about your topic I thought you were to give some conspiracy thoughts that have made many people to think that the games is being scripted but what you described is not about the game being rigged instead those are just some few human errors that happen to everybody.

[suzanne5223]

It is normal to feel that something is not right about a certain game when you want to bet on sports or when you watch the full match, and it is something we should expect if we feel like the referee favors one team over another.
Another one is that we need to recognize that referees are human and can make errors, exhibit biases, and have inconsistent decisions during the game. If no evidence of game manipulation or proven corruption, the referee will still be considered innocent.

[TopT3ns]

It is normal to feel that something is not right about a certain game when you want to bet on sports or when you watch the full match, and it is something we should expect if we feel like the referee favors one team over another.
Another one is that we need to recognize that referees are human and can make errors, exhibit biases, and have inconsistent decisions during the game. If no evidence of game manipulation or proven corruption, the referee will still be considered innocent.

Referees are also mere mortal who can easily make an mistake in the green field when presiding over a game. Living foul play without concrete evidence in favor of the integrity of match official is unjust. The possibility of error is part and parcel of sport and should be tolerated by the spectators. It is much more advantageous to concentrate on the analysis of the match, and search the mistakes of referees all the time.

[Hispo]

I completely get what you mean, but honestly, I don't think that keeping that kind of mentality is actually healthy for one as a bettor... It only brings more stress and bad feelings to something which can be already very stressing for many people.

In my opinion, as long as the match if part of a big league with much recognition and reputation for having a good standard on their referees, then I would say we just assume there is nothing being rigged or manipulated, trusting the good faith of the referee and both teams, so we can enjoy the game properly and focus on having the best experience off the game.

People who get too conspiratorial will never have the same degree of enjoyment when comes to betting in sports than someone who simply assume there is no foul play by organizers or referees.

[Natalim]

I completely get what you mean, but honestly, I don't think that keeping that kind of mentality is actually healthy for one as a bettor... It only brings more stress and bad feelings to something which can be already very stressing for many people.

If it makes you win, why not?

Like right now, people are so hyped with OKC winning because of the home-court advantage, but look, they are behind now. If this continues, which I believe it will, then the Spurs might actually win this game.

That is why sometimes we should not just follow the hype. 

[fullfitlarry]

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

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 would say that it's just normal to feel that way, specially if we are on the losing side of the game.

Our minds are going like crazy and thinking that our bet is already a sure win for us, unfortunately it's not the case. And then you blame everyone that influence the outcome, the players themselves for committing that costly error or the referee itself.

But that is beyond our control though and we can only speculate on things of that nature in sports.