Darts player handed 11-year ban for fixing 12 games

Darts player Andy Jenkins has received an 11-year ban from participating in Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) events, alongside being hit with a £17,580.03 fine for 24 charges of match-fixing. 

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) first alerted the DRA that an unnamed operator had identified suspicious betting patterns related to Jenkins’ games in June 2023. 

Despite denying all 24 counts at a hearing before the DRA committee on 17 March, Jenkins has been found guilty. 

Additionally, he was also charged with one count of betting on darts, which he accepted. 

According to the DRA’s ruling, Jenkins fixed the outcome of 12 separate fixtures between 22 February 2022 and 5 July 2023, providing information about his conduct to bettors in the process. 

All 12 games came during the Modus Super Series, while the investigation into Jenkins was supported by the Gambling Commission’s (GC) Sports Betting Intelligence Unit (SBIU). 

The DRA noted: “Match-fixing and match manipulation are rightly seen as a cancer to sport and sports such as darts, which depends on individual skill, and competitions such as the Modus Super Series (where relatively low-ranked players are invited to play) are particularly vulnerable to match manipulation and match-fixing.” 

The hearing found that between 17 March 2022 and 4 May 2023, Jenkins also placed 88 bets on darts, staking £2,438.04 and making a profit of £266.46. 

The fine issued to Jenkins is payable by 31 December 2026, though a new date could be set by the DRA, providing the total amount is paid before 14 November 2034. 

Given Jenkins’ period of suspension is deemed to have started on 15 November 2023, the date he was first suspended by the DRA, it is set to conclude at 11:59pm on 14 November 2034. 

The DRA’s update outlines that no other players that participated in any of the relevant games were involved in any way. 

John Pierce, the GC’s director of enforcement, said: “This case sends a strong and unequivocal message to all sportspeople – if you fix matches, you are likely to be caught and face serious consequences. 

“Betting customers in Britain deserve confidence that the markets they engage with are fair and free from corruption. 

“Our Sports Betting Intelligence Unit will continue to work closely with partners such as the Darts Regulation Authority to identify and prevent match-fixing.” 

Jenkins reached the semi-finals of the PDC World Darts Championship in 2007, losing to eventual winner Raymond van Barneveld.

During his career, the 54-year-old failed to win a major tournament but did win the 2000 English Open, the 2001 Japan Open and the PDC Challenge Tour on two occasions.

Jenkins has until 6 May to lodge an appeal against the decision to the DRA’s Disciplinary Committee. 

The post Darts player handed 11-year ban for fixing 12 games first appeared on EGR Intel.

 Andy Jenkins is suspended from all Darts Regulation Authority events until November 2034 and is hit with £17,000 fine
The post Darts player handed 11-year ban for fixing 12 games first appeared on EGR Intel.