Obvious Game Fixing on Philippines MPBL Basketball League

[bangjoe]

Although match fixing is common in those small leagues and happen at an alarming rate, maybe this harsh decision was taken to discourage others from thinking towards that direction.

Match-fixing is becoming very common these days in basketball, not just in small leagues alone. In this case we can’t conclude yet until every investigation confirms the suspicions are true, but then again I really don’t understand what these players are thinking that they can put their love for the sport aside to play a scripted game.

The existence of cheating or a match that has been arranged is certainly one of the reasons there is money that makes it a teaser that in the end they agree to the terms to conduct a match that has been arranged. Maybe even not only with money but there are other things that are promised to be had if they agree to the match to be arranged, cheating like this is certainly not only with one sport but with all kinds of sports cheating matches arranged is likely to happen, then it is true that you say match-fixing is increasingly common lately either in basketball or in other sports. This will not be eliminated completely, even if the player is aware that this is cheating but it is unlikely they can resist it even more so if there is a threat that might be done.

[Africolo]

I'm not defending the accused but banning them on mere suspicion seem to extreme to me. The right thing will be to set up pannel to investigate the games and until they reach a conclusion, they are not supposed to pronounce punishment so soon. What if the investigation proves them not while they are already servicing the punishment?

Although match fixing is common in those small leagues and happen at an alarming rate, maybe this harsh decision was taken to discourage others from thinking towards that direction.

Well, there are alot of times that gamblers say that games are being fixed but without a proper investigation and proof they can't just ban a team without concrete evidence to prove that the game was fixed. I literally don't understand how this games are being fixed when a particular team will be in dare need of winning and advancing to the next stage of the game and you tell me that they will agree to the fact that they won't win or play a draw for something they want to win?

The players don't deserve the punishment that they got because you can't just punish players without doing a proper investigation before sanctioning them and I feel bad for them. Match fixing I have been hearing though I don't believe such exist but whichever way it is the player need an opportunity for a fair hearing, I understand that there is corruption in every game so it can be understandable that such might have occurred.

[AHOYBRAUSE]

Here comes another case of game fixing. I'm worried of the possible repercussions. As I'm afraid no investigation and subsequent decisions are perfect, there might be innocent players whose name will be dragged together with the dirty ones.

This is about someone's career here, so I don't think they can just give out punishment to random players, including the ones who are fully involved in the game-fixing. They will need to conduct a serious investigation before they can confirm and punish only those who commit the crime, unless the entire team somehow indirectly participated.

What they need to find out is who is actually behind fixed like this. Players are just the smallest wheel in the whole situation, sometimes you can't even blame them 100% since you don't know if they might have been threatened to do what they did. Things like this surely happened before (thread wise), may it be debt to a bookie or any other situation where you don't really have control over your future. If a syndicate is coming to you saying do this or that or else, it's not easy. In many countries even going to the police is not really an option since we all know some syndicates have ties basically everywhere. Sad sad situation.

[uchegod-21]

Here comes another case of game fixing. I'm worried of the possible repercussions. As I'm afraid no investigation and subsequent decisions are perfect, there might be innocent players whose name will be dragged together with the dirty ones.

This is about someone's career here, so I don't think they can just give out punishment to random players, including the ones who are fully involved in the game-fixing. They will need to conduct a serious investigation before they can confirm and punish only those who commit the crime, unless the entire team somehow indirectly participated.

If the banned players feel that they were unjustly punished for a crime they did not commit, they can take the legal route to sort things out or request that the case be looked into through whatever means they deem fit for the case. I have not heard or read much about this case, but I am expecting to hear news where those affected will spoke up about the injustice and unfair treatment. Seems nothing as such has come up yet.


I don't think that those players will be given such ban consequences if the game fixing claim wasn't so obvious for everyone to have noticed. I do not support actions without proper investigation, but sometimes when the offence is so obvious, there are little or no need at all for further investigations, not when there were witnesses on the spot.

[Fortify]

Since I watched the local basketball matches in MBPL league in the Philippines a particular game between Bulacan and Bacolod teams few days back will surely trend due to unsual events on it.

Seriously the game was so obviously a game fixing scheme. Imagine no points incurred in the last quarter for more than 7 minutes of time? They are professional players and their play on the last minutes if not busted more like a broken play.

When the game ended I am surely this will be criticized by a lot and just as expected the commisioner of the said league ban some players and even coach.

I don't know enough about pro basketball to understand if that's possible, but a little googling states that the lowest score in a quarter in an NBL game was 5 points - which doesn't make it unthinkable that it could happen. I find it akin to Premier League football matches full of professional footballers that still occasionally end with an 0 - 0 score, or no goals scored in one half of the game. If this was a common theme then you could definitely call match fixing, but if it's just one event out of thousands of otherwise normal looking game then you cannot say for sure. That being said, there have been plenty of fixing scandals detected in that area of the world before so it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility that it happened, but proof is much harder to come by.

[Davidvictorson]

I'm not defending the accused but banning them on mere suspicion seem to extreme to me. The right thing will be to set up pannel to investigate the games and until they reach a conclusion, they are not supposed to pronounce punishment so soon. What if the investigation proves them not while they are already servicing the punishment?

Although match fixing is common in those small leagues and happen at an alarming rate, maybe this harsh decision was taken to discourage others from thinking towards that direction.

A proper investigative panel needs to be set up to dig into this… without any fact accusations like this can land them in court which I believe no one wants besides, it is just the right thing to do.

Match fixing is what kills most league and makes to continue remaining small. They authorities need to do something about it.

[M47AK16]

there are alot of times that gamblers say that games are being fixed but without a proper investigation and proof they can't just ban a team without concrete evidence to prove that the game was fixed. I literally don't understand how this games are being fixed when a particular team will be in dare need of winning and advancing to the next stage of the game and you tell me that they will agree to the fact that they won't win or play a draw for something they want to win?

The players don't deserve the punishment that they got because you can't just punish players without doing a proper investigation before sanctioning them and I feel bad for them. Match fixing I have been hearing though I don't believe such exist but whichever way it is the player need an opportunity for a fair hearing, I understand that there is corruption in every game so it can be understandable that such might have occurred.

You would never know until it is made public. There have been situations where, after many years, the results come out that it was match fixing, and sometimes it never does. We cannot expect investigation on every matches but when some doubtful things happen, which would obviously lead to investigation. But, out of continuous experiences, match fixing could be done without triggering any doubts which is the way, I believe right now how all the match fixing scripts are written and executed in most part of the world and the true sport lovers are the real bait here even bettors are the real people who face losses financially and directly.

I second your idea of fair hearing but for that the justice system should be uncorrupted like USA. But in most part of world, you cannot expect a perfect unbiased justice system. So, investigation and fair hearing are practically meaningful only when you have proper justice system.

[348Judah]

Very soon now you will discover that even some players will be restricted from gambling as well as some of the official staffs that might be in any settings that has to do with football, I could remember that prediction market also as a similar abnormality like this and this is why many have lose confidence in playing it, anyone found behind anything that has to do with match fixing should face the consequences that may come after it.

[Johnlomape]

Very soon now you will discover that even some players will be restricted from gambling as well as some of the official staffs that might be in any settings that has to do with football, I could remember that prediction market also as a similar abnormality like this and this is why many have lose confidence in playing it, anyone found behind anything that has to do with match fixing should face the consequences that may come after it.

It will be better for the government to ban players and officials from betting on matches that are in the league they are participating on maybe this will reduce the rigging we have been seeing for years about game fixing.
Game fixing can be serious to the extent of changing most fans interest in gambling on most of the local league matches due to the obvious outcomes that have been happening that are clear to the society that such games are rigged which the government need to penalize those officials and players that are involved.

[Orpichukwu]

Very soon now you will discover that even some players will be restricted from gambling as well as some of the official staffs that might be in any settings that has to do with football, I could remember that prediction market also as a similar abnormality like this and this is why many have lose confidence in playing it, anyone found behind anything that has to do with match fixing should face the consequences that may come after it.

No matter how soon, major sports don’t even allow their participants to get involved in gambling. As long as you have access to information about a game, you are not allowed to place a bet in that game, including officials who are also actively participating.

The problem is no longer them betting on the game, but it’s about a group somewhere telling them how to play and how they want the game to end, which they will have to abide by either because they have been promised a handsome reward or they have been threatened like a member mentioned above.

[danherbias07]

I don't think that those players will be given such ban consequences if the game fixing claim wasn't so obvious for everyone to have noticed. I do not support actions without proper investigation, but sometimes when the offence is so obvious, there are little or no need at all for further investigations, not when there were witnesses on the spot.

Yeah, if they really think they are on the right side, then why not. They will have a good fight against the league, but how will they prove it? The MPBL, on the other hand, has the recorded broadcast of it, and I think they used the obvious reasoning, which is no scoring for a long period of time. Although it lacks proof, I think they have more to prove it, and I think they are not showing it to the media to avoid more chaos or maybe to avoid those players being blacklisted in other leagues.

It was said that there's a 16 million payout on one betting site. So they may have hard proof of it, especially if the betting site itself was the one that told them.

[arwin100]

Very soon now you will discover that even some players will be restricted from gambling as well as some of the official staffs that might be in any settings that has to do with football, I could remember that prediction market also as a similar abnormality like this and this is why many have lose confidence in playing it, anyone found behind anything that has to do with match fixing should face the consequences that may come after it.

No matter how soon, major sports don’t even allow their participants to get involved in gambling. As long as you have access to information about a game, you are not allowed to place a bet in that game, including officials who are also actively participating.

The problem is no longer them betting on the game, but it’s about a group somewhere telling them how to play and how they want the game to end, which they will have to abide by either because they have been promised a handsome reward or they have been threatened like a member mentioned above.

Actually those rulings is already happening. Professional players are strictly not been allowed to gamble or to have a partnership with online casinos.

There's a law in Philippines about this game fixing https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/26/24684

Although the article didn't mentioned that those professional players are not allowed to promote or have link with them. Still this is been strictly by many players to avoid any problems. Its just there are people like on MPBL just take the risk and try to engage with manipulation just to earn few bucks. Hope other pro learn from the mistake of those people and will not try to engage on any same like illegal activity in futre.

[jeremypwr]

Not surprised that there is match fixing in smaller sports leagues in countries likes this
Some of the players are earning $500/month so this really is nothing out of the ordinary

[avp2306]

Not surprised that there is match fixing in smaller sports leagues in countries likes this
Some of the players are earning $500/month so this really is nothing out of the ordinary

$500 salary for professional basketball player? If that's the case then those players would truly get attracted if someone offer them huge amount to participate on game fixing.

I'm trying to find relevant article base on the salary you have mentioned but I only find this article way back from 2019 https://www.philstar.com/sports/2019/06/07/1924460/mpbl-impose-strict-salary-cap-rule and this is really so small.

Don't know if there's salary raised happened on 2026, but if the management choose to give them much competitive salary maybe they could lessen up those game fixing issues.

But look at this, they are offering much bigger contract to their potential stars or popular player https://www.powcast.net/2025/02/is-pba-losing-its-grip-mpbls-alleged.html

[henmark]

I literally don't understand how this games are being fixed when a particular team will be in dare need of winning and advancing to the next stage of the game and you tell me that they will agree to the fact that they won't win or play a draw for something they want to win?

The simple reason to throw games, knowing it costs your team, is money. These small leagues have a very modest prize pool and the players are offered 10x of their salaries to play in a certain manner and throw games.

This is the reason smaller games are more rigged and leagues like the NFL, NBA, and MLB are less likely to be rigged because the athletes here are paid handsomely and nobody wants to destroy their career over a few million dollars when their salary itself is hundreds of millions of dollars.

Earlier, I used to think that people losing bets are mad and call games rigged in frustration but now, being into sports betting for a while, I have realized that match fixing does happen and the smaller games are the easiest targets and why one shouldn't gamble blindly on these leagues.

[bhadz]

Not surprised that there is match fixing in smaller sports leagues in countries likes this
Some of the players are earning $500/month so this really is nothing out of the ordinary

Not only about small salaries but also they're being delayed. And so, they're forced to participate into throwing games and they're obviously showing it to the public.

Don't know if there's salary raised happened on 2026, but if the management choose to give them much competitive salary maybe they could lessen up those game fixing issues.

But look at this, they are offering much bigger contract to their potential stars or popular player https://www.powcast.net/2025/02/is-pba-losing-its-grip-mpbls-alleged.html

There is a different salary bracket for the real stars. Those who have been in the PBA and with the following and so, they're treated differently compared to the others who have been just hired to play for them but are also quite good and discovered through connections and leagues from barangays.

[Emitdama]

Not surprised that there is match fixing in smaller sports leagues in countries likes this
Some of the players are earning $500/month so this really is nothing out of the ordinary

Yes, and sometimes the players don't even get their paychecks. Sometimes it's not even about money but pressure and threats that get the job done for the punters. Imagine they threaten a player to lose the game or play bad otherwise, their family would be destroyed, and in some places these fixers can actually do that to set an example for the others.

I agree with the above comments that the biggest and most crucial part of this entire thing is the people who fix these games, rather than the player who is merely a toy for these mafias. Once the real criminals are caught and punished, they will be scared to attempt such things in the future. Right now, the only thing that's ever touched in this entire scandal is the player who agreed to fix or succumbed to the pressure. Then new players come, and the chain keeps working.

[Nwada001]

A proper investigative panel needs to be set up to dig into this… without any fact accusations like this can land them in court which I believe no one wants besides, it is just the right thing to do.

Match fixing is what kills most league and makes to continue remaining small. They authorities need to do something about it.

Still setting up the investigations panel? There should already be such things that exist earlier than now, and their duties should focus on trying to make sure there is no such thing as match fixing, and even when one happens, they can fish out those involved and make sure they are penalized instead of allowing the punishment to get to those who don’t have a hand in it.

[cryptoaddictchie]

Still setting up the investigations panel? There should already be such things that exist earlier than now, and their duties should focus on trying to make sure there is no such thing as match fixing, and even when one happens, they can fish out those involved and make sure they are penalized instead of allowing the punishment to get to those who don’t have a hand in it.

I went to check some updates and find some continuation about the topic but it seems the only final resolution did was suspend the coach and some of the players all time banned on the league. Its not yet clear whether the team will be still on the league cause theres not much concrete information.

Sadly the investigation for this is either ended up loose end or ignore when the time comes. Thats how lazy the authorities of Philippines to give justice to cases like this.