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

[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.

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. 

It does not necessarily means one will be consistent with one's bet and get an steady flow of money into one's pockets, though, that being the case, then I do not think it is worth it to be conspiratorial and over-think things in such manner... It only brings negative things to one's life.
Actually it would be as stressing as having a job and not getting guaranteed money from it. I would rather to have a job, which at the very least will give me some standard of like and guaranteed income.

It is not so easy to get consistency out of betting, even people who analyze extensively their incoming matches can end up losing their money.

[iv4n]

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.

Yes, referees can affect the game, but so can weather... At the same time, even bad weather can be good for some teams and bad for others.

Lineup, injuries, stats, motivation, home/away, recent form, referees, and even weather...
So the referee crew is just another thing on the checklist, but I wouldn't say it's near the top of the list. And if someone wishes to see a conspiracy theory, it's pretty simple to find it in all that...

[SFR10]

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.

Considering that I prefer to place my bets before the game starts ^{[so I can enjoy watching the game with little to no distractions]}, as opposed to in-play/live bets, I never experience any feeling during the time I'm placing my bets, but I agree that referees can influence the game to some extent.

[Outhue]

For casinos, it's always the house.
For sports like football, it's always the referee

Unfortunately there is no way to get rid of them, but when they serve us injustice we can still call them out, but the chances of winning is almost zero because a referee that takes a side can only be replaced but the game can't be replayed, it's already over. Mind you, people raise alarms only when they losses money, this is something that has happened so many times, if you are winning abnormally you won't call the casino out and ask them why you are winning too much.

[TopTort777]

Only suckers think about conspiracy theories, because they cant handle the loss. Those weak people will always try to find excuse and someone to blame because they have lost. I have never heard how people complain and talked about conspiracy when they won their bets. It is always like: if they won = they are great at making predictions; if the lose = it was bad weather, bad referee, bad team, sun spoiled vision, rigged game, scam.

[Cointxz]

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

There’s a time that I feel this way but it’s pointless to think about it since there’s no way to prove by yourself while you are just wasting time thinking about trivial things instead of just accepting the lose.

Our feeling or view influences depending on the action or calls towards the team/player we are betting on.

If this suspicious action or call is not against our bet we usually just ignore it as part of the game so it’s more on our own perspective rather than there’s an actual conspiracy theory most of the time.

[Z-tight]

No, i do not think of stuff like this. If you are betting on popular leagues or competitions, then the chances of things like these happening is very slim. I know people who are all in their head and think the game is rigged because of one or two incidents during the game, but they couldn't be more wrong.

Referees are humans and they can make mistakes and they officiate games differently, i.e. some refs would be soft and call soft fouls, while others would let a lot of things go, etc. Some people gamble too much that they start to believe everything is a conspiracy related to gambling, that's the problem.

[Alex077]

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...

I think most sports bettors have had thoughts like this at least once, especially after a controversial refereeing decision.
That being said, I wouldn’t rush to conclude that situations like this automatically mean a game is fixed. Playing at home has been an advantage for as long as sports have existed. Referees are human too, and research shows they can sometimes be influenced by a loud home crowd without even noticing it themselves. It doesn’t mean games are fixed, but it can affect a few close calls here and there.
On top of that, when we have money on a game, we tend to pay much more attention to the moments that go against our prediction.

[purple_sparkles]

Sometimes conspiracy theories seem like the most believable explanation for certain sports results. However, I think that match-fixing is extremely rare at the highest levels of competition, because there is already so much money involved there even without bribes.Very few players and teams are willing to risk their reputation, careers, and credibility for extra money.

[Lannakosa]

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 believe that in professional sports there is always room for some kind of manipulation because enormous amounts of money are involved. Honestly I think it is very difficult to pull off nowadays because games attract so much attention, and anything like that would be noticed by a lot of people. So, while I acknowledge that it is possible, in practice I believe it happens extremely rarely. There simply are not that many people willing to take such a risk.

[Botnake]

Sometimes conspiracy theories seem like the most believable explanation for certain sports results. However, I think that match-fixing is extremely rare at the highest levels of competition, because there is already so much money involved there even without bribes.Very few players and teams are willing to risk their reputation, careers, and credibility for extra money.

I think the opposite. I believe it is more rampant in big leagues, but we are just not noticing it, or maybe it is hard to confirm because they are protected.

Just think about it, if everyone involved includes those who regulate the league, then who would investigate them? It happened before when a ref got jailed for fixing games, but the NBA denied any involvement and only put the blame on the ref to save their reputation. So until now, it is still speculation for some people that maybe some games are being staged by the organization itself. Of course, it is hard to prove, but that is why people keep questioning it.

[TheUltraElite]

Well after one plays a bet, and they are watching the game, they have the sense that money is waiting for them because their prediction is coming out to be true - now what happens is that another person in the game is found to have some influence over the game. The gambler now thinks that the person who is on the field doing this is going to ruin the bet making them a villainous figure for the gambler.

This is a common psychological error that human beings do. Refs will be giving calls and problems will arise. You cant do anything about it and if it is seeming to lead to a problems in your head, consider backing off from sports betting.

[Russlenat]

This is a common psychological error that human beings do. Refs will be giving calls and problems will arise. You cant do anything about it and if it is seeming to lead to a problems in your head, consider backing off from sports betting.

I would not stop even if it is really happening, because sports betting is still gambling. There are always two sides to choose from, so it would not really stop me from getting the thrill. Actually, I still believe that rigging happens from time to time. I can guess some of those situations, and sometimes my guess is correct. But then again, it is still about getting more right calls than wrong ones if we want to be profitable.

That is the problem for me, because I still don’t have that consistency yet.

[Peanutswar]

~
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.

Sometimes when we do watch the game where we do make a bet and sometimes there is uncessesary things happens we feel that theere is something wrong lets say possible match fixing and etc. because its part of the emotions of the person they dont want to let their money go away with just these single mistakes and in the sports world this do often happens anything can happens once the game starts and again its not controlled with the casino its all about the players, opponents and coach or even management how they will handle this match end of the day its a win-lose outcome only. If you feel doubt with the game right now most of the casino supported sports betting have the features of early cashout.

[sunsilk]

We're all good observers for the games that we follow very often. And it's normal to notice those times where the refs aren't call what they should have made a call for.

They make mistakes and that's why there's a review for some specific sports like basketball but not all of these sports are getting the same treatment for having that review.

The reaction we give to these sports are pretty normal and that's the adrenaline we feel when we watch it live because we've got some bets.

[gracreavix]

Refs has a lot of influence in a game, some of those different behaviors from the refs could just be mood swings though. Not all are necessarily on purpose, or a planned things.
But, for a long time, i have still always thought that most of this games are been controlled by the refs, or the officials. Probably a bought game, or refs trying to favour one team over the other. Any thing is possible.

[KTChampions]

Only suckers think about conspiracy theories, because they cant handle the loss. Those weak people will always try to find excuse and someone to blame because they have lost. I have never heard how people complain and talked about conspiracy when they won their bets. It is always like: if they won = they are great at making predictions; if the lose = it was bad weather, bad referee, bad team, sun spoiled vision, rigged game, scam.

For some reason I remembered the times when Xavi was a coach in Barcelona 
I generally agree with your thesis if we're talking about top competitions, but if we go a little deeper, we'll find that news about match-fixing is very common. For example, scandals in esports, and, if I'm not mistaken, in table tennis and anywhere else where money is tight. But in any case, match-fixing and other conspiracy theories are a factor that must be taken into account and not used as an excuse.

[hedgeh0g]

We're all good observers for the games that we follow very often. And it's normal to notice those times where the refs aren't call what they should have made a call for.

They make mistakes and that's why there's a review for some specific sports like basketball but not all of these sports are getting the same treatment for having that review.

The reaction we give to these sports are pretty normal and that's the adrenaline we feel when we watch it live because we've got some bets.

The thing is, a player who's put their money—and often a lot of it—on a bet will believe anything after that, as long as the bet wins. They'll naturally blame the referees for every whistle, even if the referee is absolutely right. We as players need to stay cooler and calmer; controlling our emotions is a skill that professionals have learned to use to their advantage. So, I believe there are absolutely no conspiracies; these are all fabrications of players who want to win every bet at the expense of an adequate assessment of reality.

[Sammye3]

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.

In multiple occasions that I have this feeling and it does not go off easily. Specifically in a game between Manchester United vs Chelsea last season, which the match ended in a draw. It was so convincing that the game was rigged because you could see a lot of overlooked fouls and referees making a few unsupported calls.

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 think the referee has the most impact in a match and can change the outcome of the game so quickly. Most people would think that coaches have impact on the pitch too, and we saw that during the time of Alex Fegurson where it was believed that matches were supposedly rigged before the end of the match to change the result.

[Alpha Marine]

I don't think about conspiracy theories. It doesn't mean the referees cannot be biased, but I believe they don't do it purposely. Most refs have a favourite; they are human beings, so they subconsciously make calls that favour another team. They may not mean to do it, but they will do.
It does not mean the referee is corrupt or was bribed; he just subconsciously favours the team he likes more. It also happens when one is a big team against a small team.

I've seen this most in football. There was no previous plan or conspiracy by the match officials to favour a team, but you will see that every 50-50 challenge goes against a particular team. He can be hard against one team and soft when it comes to the other team.
It's easy for football fans to call it a conspiracy, but I don't believe in that, especially at the top level. It is difficult to keep that kind of thing a secret.