WPBSA respond to Jamie Burnett vs John Sutton match-fixing claims
The WPBSA have released a statement after suspicious betting patterns were identified in the International Championship qualifier between Jamie Burnett and John Sutton on Wednesday night.
It is alleged that multiple bets deriving from the same location were placed on Burnett to win the match by means of a 6-0 or 6-1 scoreline.
There were also multiple bets placed on frame handicap markets in favour of Burnett, predominantly -3.5 and -4.5.
Indeed, Burnett eventually won the game 6-0 with high breaks of 59 and 93 against the little-known Irish amateur on a non-streamed table at the Barnsley Metrodome.
It is rumoured that one bookmaker rejected a five-figure bet earlier in the day on Burnett to win 6-0.
The WPBSA have responded by releasing a statement on Thursday afternoon, which read: “Yesterday, the WPBSA Integrity Unit received an early warning notification from partners in the betting industry of unusual betting on the match between Jamie Burnett and John Sutton at the International Championships Qualifiers in Barnsley. The match took place last night resulting in a 6-0 win for Jamie Burnett.
“The WPBSA Integrity Unit undertook specific measures both to monitor the match live and to examine the circumstances surrounding the match and player. Together with the Sports Betting Intelligence Unit at the Gambling Commission we are analysing the available information on this match to determine what action is appropriate.
“With their partners the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), the WPBSA Integrity Unit have information sharing agreements with the betting industry and closely monitor worldwide betting on all competitive snooker.
“The WPBSA Integrity Unit operates with complete autonomy from the WPBSA Board and World Snooker Limited. The Unit is always made aware of any unusual betting on snooker matches and will take appropriate action in every case.”
