The regional league match between FSV Frankfurt and TSV Steinbach Haiger, which ended with a score of 0:3, is suspected of being fixed. The kicker has placed the bets on a platform which, in addition to information from other bookmakers, has raised the suspicion of betting analysts and investigators.

The platform in question is Betfair. This is not an ordinary betting provider, but a kind of stock exchange. Put simply: People with an affinity for betting can compete against each other. "Imagine two friends betting against each other while watching a soccer match, and handing over their bets to a neutral observer during the game for safekeeping. That’s how a betting exchange works: our customers bet against each other and Betfair manages the stakes until the bet is settled. This is how it is described on the provider’s website. Player A, for example, bets 500 Euros on FC Bayern to win against FSV Mainz 05 in a Bundesliga match that takes place this weekend. Player B - due to the constellation described here “championship favorite against potential relegation candidate” - has a much more attractive odds, the development of which is also influenced by the betting behavior of all other participants. In addition to bets on the final result, the stock exchange also offers bets on the half-time results, and it is exactly such a bet that is suspected in this specific case.

In the game in question, according to the account of an online data provider, a whopping 39,375 euros were bet on a Steinbacher halftime victory at Betfair. On the one hand, according to experts, these are astonishing orders of magnitude for a regional league match at “prime time” - the duel rose on Saturday, October 7, 2023, at 2 p.m., i.e. at a time when it is competing with numerous other matches on the betting market, because tens of soccer matches are running throughout Germany on which players can bet. By way of comparison, a total of only 639 euros had been bet on a half-time win for FSV, and 1562 euros on a half-time draw. On the total game time tendency - actually a far more popular betting category - of the game in question, a total of only 6138 euros had been bet.

On the other hand, the timing and amount of individual bets have made monitoring companies that scan sports betting worldwide for anomalies, in this specific case the company Sportradar, suspicious.

Too early lead According to the data website, the fattest individual bets on an away win at halftime came in game minutes 5 (4427 euros), 6 (1309 euros), 9 (6530 euros), 10 (5330 euros), 11 (2488 euros), 14 (4804 euros) and 15 (4301 euros). In that 15th minute also the 1:0 for Steinbach was scored. Up to this time altogether 32,080 euro on the appropriate tendency were platziert. According to experts, however, this goal should not have fit into the scheme of the “match fixers”. It simply fell too early.

Which makes sense, because with the guest lead, the odds naturally changed in favor of a Steinbach half-time victory.

In the specific case at Betfair, it plummeted from 2.34 at kickoff to 1.90 (10th minute) and 1.66 (17th) to 1.08 (20th) five minutes after the 0:1. That can be a relief moment, especially in view of the first goal, but doesn’t have to mean anything. According to betting experts, it happens that fixed games take the “intended” course entirely without concrete intervention in the action. And: with other bookmakers unusually high amounts were set on the (later in fact arrived) half-time result of 0:2, so not only the tendency. The presumption of innocence applies. Incidentally, providers with a German gambling license are not allowed to offer bets on regional league games. Betfair left an inquiry unanswered.

Speaking to kicker, Andreas Krannich, Managing Director Integrity Services of betting market watcher Sportradar, explained, “In addition to Betfair, we have seen absolutely unusual bets regarding a 0:2 at halftime at other betting providers for whom we do risk management.”

Unusual operations in Asia In addition, another bettor from the Sportradar bookmaker integrity network had come forward to report extremely high betting on a 0-2 halftime result. Even the usually hard-nosed providers from the Far East got too hot about the development at some point, Krannich reports: “We know of one Asian bookmaker that stopped offering the match after the score was 0-1 in the 15th minute due to extremely unusual betting. Asian providers usually never do something like that.”

And in the very next game against us there were 2 highly questionable red cards just before halftime.

I am 100% sure match fixing happens in every minor league in Europe. The only thing is that it goes under the radar and nobody cares to investigate further, but the betting rot is there.