How 'pitchsiders' who prey on Big Bash League can make a fortune

Chris Barrett Canberra Times Sports writer
When Adam Zampa smashed a six in the final over of the Big Bash match between Adelaide and Perth on Monday night it was cause for the Strikers to celebrate.

The Strikers were overwhelming outsiders needing seven runs to win off the final three balls and nine wickets down, with the Scorchers $1.11 favourites. But only seconds later, as Zampa sent the ball soaring over mid-wicket and the rope, Perth all of a sudden flew out to 1000-1.

Adelaide would go on to win and the thrilling climax was not just a great result for the South Australian franchise. It was also a dream scenario for the newest arrival on the radar of cricket's anti-corruption personnel: the pitchsider.



For the man stationed in the crowd with a laptop or a smartphone, the finale offered the most technologically savvy and connected of punters the chance to reap a fortune.

By backing the Strikers at a tasty price, the moment Zampa laid bat on ball — knowing it was headed over the boundary — they would have had the opportunity to get a step ahead of overseas betting agencies waiting for a live feed of scores and slightly delayed television coverage to adjust their odds.

It's in this narrow but lucrative sphere that individuals such as Rajiv Mulchandan, whom Fairfax Media revealed as the British national kicked out of two BBL games in Sydney over the past week, are striving to make a mint.

"The value in knowing what is going to happen is immense," said Brendan Poots, chief executive of Australian-based sports betting hedge fund Priomha Capital. "If you can get that split second advantage the value is incredible. The moment that ball left the bat you could see it was going for six, whereas Betfair and the different data providers will wait for [the six] to happen. That's how they do it."

The practice is being compared with the activity outlined in such compelling depth this year in Michael Lewis' expose of the American high-speed financial trading industry, Flash Boys. The book documents how traders use high-speed underground cables and locate their computers close to the stockmarket's matching engine in an effort to get fractionally ahead of the market.

They have gained a tiny physical advantage over slower traders, measured in only microseconds but, as Lewis revealed, it has been worth millions.

In cricket, the so-called pitchsiders are able to get their nose in front because of television delays into overseas markets of as long as 12 to 14 seconds. Most overseas gambling organisations will have staff in their offices altering the odds based on scores and television coverage. Punters generally will have to combat a built-in delay of six to eight seconds for in-play wagers to be processed, but that leaves a slight opening for the most enterprising.

The ploy does not work with Australian betting agencies - such wagers have to be made with a phone call, not electronically, and Betfair's Australian server prevents in-play betting here on its app and site. But Australian cricket's Twenty20 tournament is clearly seen as an appealing target because the odds on the result can change so dramatically.

Tennis is considered even greater attraction, as evidenced by the affair at this year's Australian Open in which a British man was accused of transmitting live scores to a London sports data provider - or "courtsiding" - before having charges dropped by Victorian police.

Betting industry folks will say it is simply a loophole being exercised by the most crafty- "it's not match fixing, it's just taking advantage of technology," Poots said - and stress that it is not a criminal offence, certainly in NSW where Mulchandan was swooped on by police in and thrown out of the SCG and ANZ Stadium.

Cricket authorities, however, see pitchsiding very differently. Concerned about whose hands information may fall into, and unwilling for their game to be used for such purposes, they are banking on the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports, led by former ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed, being able to successfully lobby governments to stamp it out.

"There is already legislation in certain states that makes courtside betting illegal," a Cricket Australia spokesman said.

"Our conditions of entry reflect that meaning anyone who engages in the practice will be handed over to police.

"We are vigilant about protecting the integrity of the game and that means preventing anyone entering our grounds who might be trying to manipulate betting markets or potentially rely on match information for financial gain."

So what, they intend to confiscate mobile phones if used, i can run a server from my phone with multiple applications running at once, 90% of which is automated, easy enough to input scores and have all the calculations and bets done in a second using betfair.

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One Drive

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Been going on in horseracing for a while.
People are getting kicked out of Tennis, Cricket, and other sports when spotted.
It's quite simple, there are overseas agencies that Australians can bet inplay on sports with and it isn't Betfair. For legal reasons I won't name them.
Simply find a position away from the crowd, be on your phone to your partner just outside the stadium and there's nothing they can do.
Or rent a place close by using a telescope or state of the art video camera.
At 1000/1, it's got to be worthwhile as long as you're turning over enough to cover costs.

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They can eject you, but they can't charge you, there isn't enough proof that they could obtain, that would stand up in court.

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RaceCensus - powerful system testing software.
Now with over 399,000 Metropolitan, Provincial and Country races!
http://www.propun.com.au/horse_raci...ng_systems.html
*RaceCensus now updated to 31/03/2024
Video overview of RaceCensus here:
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A law that is unenforceable is doomed to failure but it doesn't stop authorities from bluffing. I strike it a lot in another sphere of my life but I have never been charged. My activities are harmless and hurt no one but give some people a uniform, especially a khaki one, and they become the SS.

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Dear Lord
Please let me break even. I need the money.

Speedy, you're on the West Coast, I'm on the East. That gives us two hours? Stuff this 12 secs, that should give you plenty of time to get the bets on if I go to the Boxing Day Test and give you the nod by phone....hey??

LOL.....all the best for the New Year

I don't see what is wrong with betting on something when you're at a match or races or whatever. You are not cheating in any way, shape or form. You are just watching something live as opposed to on a small delay with the telly.

You've got a small jump on the others but why should you be penalised for that? Maybe the complainers can get off the seat of their pants and go to the match themselves.

Maybe I'm naive but I don't understand what all the fuss is about.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”

― Earl Nightingale

Agreed.

I read in the newspapers that it is not against any current law but the authorities allege that it could easily lead to match-fixing or some illegal activity related to the sport.

But what's the difference if there was no one at a cricket game and the "fixers" were located in another country? The bowler can still bowl a no ball on the 4th delivery and they clean up. It doesn't make sense. It shouldn't matter if you at a game or not. Either you are allowed to bet in-play or you're not. Simples!

And another thing, when are we (in Australia) going to be able to bet in-play on anything other than racing? I reckon I know my AFL pretty well and wouldn't mind betting in play with that sport (at the ground or not).

__________________
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”

― Earl Nightingale