Integrity Is The Key

Calls for reform on numerous issues after match-fixing rocks local basketball league

- David Lee

The recent match-fixing scandal that hit Singapore basketball has put the sport and its national league in the spotlight, and with this just one of the issues plaguing the local scene, the community is calling for change to lift it out of the doldrums.

Online betting on games, match-fixing, brawls and administrative issues are some of the problems highlighted by current and former players, coaches and officials whom The Sunday Times spoke to.

Gambling Prevalent in Local, Regional Basketball

On Aug 19, the ugly spectre of match-fixing surfaced in the National Basketball League (NBL), as the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) arrested nine individuals for their suspected involvement in fixing games in the domestic competition.

Following the arrests, the CPIB said that one of the matches that was allegedly fixed was Tagawa's 66-43 win over Tong Whye on Aug 1.

ST understands that among those who were hauled in by CPIB were individuals who had placed bets on NBL games on illegal gambling sites, and those who were suspected of fixing league games.

And it appears that gambling on games is not a new development.

Sources told ST that in the NBL's early days, when matches were played at the Gay World Amusement Park before it was torn down in 2001, betting on games was prevalent when "the teams were run by the towkays (bosses), who would bet among themselves on whose team would win".

A club official, who has been in local basketball for decades but spoke only on condition of anonymity, said: "Fans were betting on the games too, but I don't think there were syndicates. The towkays would incentivise their own players to play their best by promising them good win bonuses, but after the new clubs and club leaders took over, there were less of such practices.